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62d Congress 1 
3d Session j 


SENATE 


( Document 
l No. 1021 



LETTER FROM 

THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE 

TRANSMITTING, 

PURSUANT TO LAW, A REPORT ON 
IRRIGATION FROM RESERVOIRS IN 
WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA 
PREPARED UNDER SUPERVISION 
OF DR. SAMUEL FORTIER :: 




January 21, 1913.— Referred to the Committee on Irrigation and ordered 

to be printed, with illustrations 


WASHINGTON 

1913 


































































































CONTENTS. 


Page 

Introduction. 7 

General description. 7 

Climate. 12 

Rainfall. 12 

Droughts. 14 

Temperature. 16 

Winds. 16 

Conservation of soil moisture. 16 

Comparison of yields of irrigated and nonirrigated crops. 18 

Water supply. 21 

Introductory discussion. 2i 

Republican River drainage. 22 

South Fork of Republican River. 22 

Beaver Creek. 24 

Sappa Creek. 24 

Prairie Dog Creek. 25 

Smoky Hill River drainage basin. 25 

Smoky Hill River. 25 

Saline River. 26 

Solomon River. 27 

White Woman Creek. 28 

Arkansas River. 29 

Cimarron River. 29 

Beaver Creek, Okla. 32 

Reservoir sites surveyed. 33 

Reservoir site on Beaver Creek. Rawlins County, Kans. 33 

Reservoir site at the forks of Cimarron River, Grant County, Kans. 35 

Small reservoir site on Cleveland Run, near St. Francis. 38 

Small reservoir site in section 19, township 2 south, range 39 west. 40 

Small reservoir near mouth of Ladder Creek, Logan County, Kans. 43 

Utilization of underground waters by pumping near Garden City, Kans. 45 

Use of windmills in irrigation. 49 

Conclusions. 51 


5 




































ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Plates. 

Page. 

Plate I. Fig. 1.—Channel of South Fork of Republican River. Fig. 2.- 

Beaver Creek reservoir site. 24 

II. Map of Beaver Creek reservoir site..... 32 

III. Fig. 1.—Channel of Cimarron River at Forks, Grant County, Ivans. 

Fig. 2.—Dam site of Cleveland Run, near St. Francis, Kans.... 36 

IV. Map of reservoir site at forks of Cimarron River, Grant County. 

Kans. 36 

V. Pumping plant at experiment station. Garden City. Kans. 18 

VI. Pumping plant with earth reservoir, near Garden City, Kans. 48 

VII. Windmill and small concrete reservoir, near Syracuse, Kans. 48 

VIII. Windmill and earth reservoir, near Garden City, Kans. 48 

Text Figures. 

Fig. 1. Map of portion of Kansas and Oklahoma included in this report. 8 

2. Map of Great Plains area having less than 20 inches mean annual 

rainfall. 9 

3. Precipitation at typical stations in western Kansas and Oklahoma... 12 

4. Rainfall map of Kansas. 13 

5. Monthly distribution of mean annual precipitation in western Kansas 

and Oklahoma. 14 

6. Average evaporation losses from cultivated and uncultivated tanks 

during first 28 days after irrigation. 17 

7. Map of reservoir site on Cleveland Run, near St. Francis, Kans. ' 39 

8. Map of reservoir site in section 19, T. 2 S., R. 39 W., sixth principal 

meridian. 41 

9. Map of reservoir site on Ladder Creek, Logan County, Kans. 43 

10. Map showing area irrigated by pumping in portion of Arkansas Valley, 

western Kansas. 10 


6 



















IRRIGATION FROM RESERVOIRS IN WESTERN KANSAS AND 

OKLAHOMA. 


Introduction. 

The agricultural appropriation act which provided for irrigation 
investigations for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1912, contained 
the following provision: 

That the Secretary of Agriculture be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed 
to cause a thorough investigation to be made and report to Congress at the opening 
of the next session upon the feasibility and economy of irrigation by the reservoir 
system or plan in western Kansas and western Oklahoma. 

The bill was not passed until August 10, 1912, and no additional 
appropriation was included above the amounts intended for the regular 
work of irrigation investigations. It was necessary, therefore, that 
the investigation be limited to the most western parts of these two 
States. The 18 western counties of Kansas and the 2 western 
counties of Oklahoma lying west of the line of 20 inches mean annual 
rainfall were covered. These are shown on the accompanying map 
(fig. 1). Even with this limitation in area but little more than a 
reconnoissance was possible. 

A general reconnoissance was made, and five sites, two of them 
large and three small, were surveyed in Kansas. Other available 
reports were relied upon mainly for information regarding Oklahoma. 
The needs and advantages of irrigation were investigated and data 
were collected regarding the present development, mainly by pump¬ 
ing, in the portion of the Arkansas Kiver Valley near Garden City. 

General Description. 

Agricultural settlement in Kansas began in the eastern portion of 
the State and has progressed westward, alternately advancing and 
retreating along the western limit of the area where farming under 
methods of the humid sections is successful. (Fig. 2.) 

Kansas was organized as a Territory in 1854 and admitted as a 
State in 1861. The first wave of agricultural settlement in western 
Kansas occurred in the early seventies, during a succession of years 
of more than normal rainfall, although grazing had become important 
prior to that time. This period was followed by years of light rain¬ 
fall, which compelled these first settlers to abandon their farms. A 
second series of wet years in the eighties caused a second wave of 
settlement which extended to the western border of the State and 
reached its height in 1887 and 1888. The normal rainfall of these 
two years did not check the faith in the country that had been in- 

7 



8 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


NEBRASKA 



Fig. 1.—Portion of Kansas and Oklahoma included in this report. 



































































































































































































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


9 


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^ Qoundary of Great Plains having a mean annual rainfall less than 20 inches. 

K88& Area Covered in this Report*. 

Fig. 2.—Great Plains area having less than 20 inches mean annual rainfall. 
(Adapted from map page 11, Bui. 187, Bureau Plant Industry.) 

































































10 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


spired by the high rainfall in 1883 and 1884. The succeeding un¬ 
usually dry years, however, caused much hardship among the settlers 
however, and greatly reduced the population in this portion of the 
State, the population of the 18 western counties decreasing from 
60,505 in 1888 to 28,127 in 1898, according to the State census. 
Since 1898 the population has increased steadily, being 56,950 in 
1910. The population of the whole State has also varied, decreasing 
from 1,518,552 in 1888 to 1,334,734 in 1895 and increasing again to 
1,690,949 in 1910. The present population in the 18 western counties 
has an average density of 1 person to 175 acres, or approximately 
3.6 per square mile. Garden City, with a population of 3,714 in 
1910, is the largest town. Goodland, Liberal, and Colby are the only 
others having a population of more than 1,000. 

In the two counties, Texas and Cimarron, which constitute the 
extreme western portion of Oklahoma, the history of the development, 
while similar to that in western Kansas, has not been subject to such 
extremes. The population of the two counties in 1910 was 18,802, 
or 4f per square mile. The accompanying map (fig. 2) shows the 
relative sizes of the area covered in this report and the general Great 
Plains area, which has a mean annual rainfall of less than 20 inches. 

The biennial reports of Kansas State Board of Agriculture furnish 
detailed annual crop statistics, from which the records for the 18 
western counties from 1885 to 1910 were obtained. The acreage of 
prairie grasses is not included, as the classification of these and de¬ 
termination of the area is more indefinite than for the other crops. 
One million six hundred and eighty thousand acres of fenced prairie 
grasses were reported in 1910. The leading crop has varied during 
different periods, as shown in the following table: 


Average acreage of principal crops in the 18 western counties of Kansas by 5-year periods . 


Crop. 

1885-1889 

1890-1894 

1895-1899 

1900-1904 

1904-1909 

Acres. 

Per 
centof 
total. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent of 
total. 

Acres. 

Per 
cenl of 
total. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent of 
total. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent of 
total. 

Corn. 

139.400 

63,8 

117.400 

17.7 

165,900 

25.1 

121,600 

19.0 

182,000 

16.9 

Oats. 

15,400 

7.1 

42,900 

6.5 

31.000 

4.7 

10.600 

1.6 

25,900 

2.4 

Barley. 

300 

0.1 

30.100 

4.5 

50.300 

7. 6 

54,900 

8.6 

161,000 

14.9 

Winter wheat. 

14,100 

6.5 

226,900 

34.3 

204,600 

30.9 

200,700 

31.3 

376,500 

34.9 

Spring wheat. 

6,800 

3.1 

131,100 

19.7 

93,100 

14.0 

52,100 

8. 1 

86, 700 

8.1 

Broom corn. 

5,200 

2.4 

36,100 

5.5 

19,100 

2.9 

14,600 

2.3 

23.600 

2.2 

Sorghum. 

37.300 

17.0 

53,900 

8.2 

51,000 

7. 7 

126,100 

19.7 

112.900 

10.5 

Maize and Kafir corn.. 



12,800 

1.9 

23,900 

3.6 

32.400 

5.1 

81,600 

7 6 

Alfalfa. 



11,400 

1.7 

23.200 

3.5 

27.200 

4.3 

26,400 

2.5 

Total. 

218,500 

100.0 

662,600 

100.0 

662,100 

100.0 

640,200 

100.0 

1,076,600 

100.0 


In the earlier settlement, from 1885 to 1889, nearly two-thirds of 
the total acreage was in corn, with only one-sixth in head grains and 
one-sixth in coarse forage crops. During the period from 1890 to 
1894 winter wheat was the leading crop, with spring wheat second, 
corn averaging only slightly over one-sixth of the total. From 1895 
to 1899 wheat continued to lead, corn increasing to one-fourth of the 
total acreage. In the last two five-year periods, winter wheat has 
continued to show the largest acreage, spring wheat dropping to 8 
per cent of the total, and barley increasing from 8 per cent to 15 per 





































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


11 


cent. Sorghum shows a decrease from 20 per cent during the period 
from 1900 to 1904 to 10.5 during the period from 1904 to 1909. The 
wheat is grown mainly in the northern counties, Thomas and Rawlins 
having over one-half the total acreage of winter wheat in 1910, and 
Cheyenne and Sherman two-thirds of the spring wheat. These 4 
counties also contained one-half of the barley and oats and six-tenths 
of the corn in 1910. The largest average acreage of broom corn was 
raised in Stevens County, of sorghum in Scott and Logan Counties, 
and of maize and Kafir corn in Stevens and Seward Counties. Alfalfa 
is grown wherever the conditions are favorable, the largest acreage 
being found under irrigation along the Arkansas River in Hamilton, 
Kearny, and Finney Counties. During the period from 1904 to 1909, 
in the four northern counties, 71 per cent of the acreage was in head 
grains, 21 per cent in corn, and 8 per cent in coarse forage. In the 
three southern counties, during the same period, 32 per cent of the 
acreage was in head grains, 16 per cent in corn, and 52 per cent in 
course forage, including broom corn. This difference in the crops 
grown is representative of the different climatic conditions, the rain¬ 
fall being somewhat higher and the evaporation slightly less in the 
northern counties. The area in the above crops amounted to 20.6 
per cent of the total land area in the four northern counties and 
5.9 per cent in the three southern counties. In Cimarron and Texas 
Counties, Okla., milo maize constituted 42 per cent of the acreage in 
principal crops, Kafir corn 12 per cent, sorghum 4 per cent, and broom 
corn 12 per cent in 1909, equal to a total of 70 per cent. Corn was 
grown on 6 per cent of the acreage and head grains on the remainder. 
But 11.5 per cent of the total area was planted to these principal 
crops. 

Crop statistics for 1912 are not yet available, but it is probable that 
the sorghum, Kafir corn, and milo maize will show a larger proportion 
of the total acreage than in previous years both in western Kansas and 
in western Oklahoma. The present tendency of agricultural devel¬ 
opment is toward extensive combined farmimg and stock raising. 
This will allow the continued increase in the permanent settlement, 
although as dense a population as exists in the more eastern portion 
of the State can never be supported here. The coarse forage crops, 
sorghum, Kafir corn, and milo maize, adapt themselves to the varying 
moisture conditions and are of great value to this section. 

In general, the advantages of irrigation are appreciated and its use 
is limited only by the difficulties and cost of securing the water supply. 
The growing of sugar beets has become an important industry in the 
Arkansas Valley, which is the only portion of the area where any 
general irrigation is now practiced. In raising staple crops in the 
western part of these two States the distances to large markets are not 
a material handicap, although the best opportunities come from the 
feeding of the local products and marketing of stock. In growing 
the small truck crops this district is handicapped in competing in the 
larger centers either to the east or west with the products of the lands 
adjoining these markets and such crops are mainly limited to local 
consumption. 

There are six east-and-west railroad lines crossing the territory 
included in this report, which furnish adequate transportation to the 
main markets. The need of a north-and-south connecting line is felt, 
however. At present the only line of this character operates from 


I 


12 IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 

Garden City to Scott and Winona and from Oakley to Colby. The 
largest area without a railroad at present is the southwestern corner 
of Kansas. This is being remedied, however, by the construction ol a 
line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road from Dodge City, Kans., 

to Colmor, N. Mex. The local 
wagon roads, while largely un¬ 
improved, are generally in good 
condition for hauling. 

A reconnoissance soil survey 
of western Kansas has been 
made by the United States Bur¬ 
eau of Soils. 1 Except along the 
streams or other broken areas 
the soils are quite generally 
classed as silt loams. Those 
north of the Arkansas River 
are considered as being derived 
from the loess, those south of 
this river from a Tertiary silt 
deposit known as plains marl. 
In southwestern Kansas the 
soils are more variable, sands, 
sandy loams, and silty clay 
loams being found. The short grasses are the natural vegetation. 
The soils are quite uniformly adapted to any crops which can be 
raised under the local conditions. 



Precipitation at typical stations. 

1$^ Total mean annual precipitation. 

18^1 Precipitation during 6 monthSrAprilfoSept: 

Fig. 3. —Mean annual precipitation and mean precipi¬ 
tation, April to September, at typical stations in 
western Kansas and Oklahoma. 


Climate. 


RAINFALL. 

The rainfall in western Kansas and Oklahoma decreases at a fairly 
uniform rate from east to west. The accompanying table, compiled 
from the reports of the United States Weather Bureau, shows the 
longer available records. The annual precipitation at the stations 
named in the table is shown graphically in figure 3. 

Mean monthly rainfall of western Kansas and Oklahoma. 


Place. 

Length 

of 

record. 

Janu¬ 

ary. 

Febru¬ 

ary. 

March. 

April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 


Years. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Oberlin. 

25 

0.41 

0. 86 

1.37 

3.02 

3.17 

3.28 

3.62 

Achilles. 

13 

.26 

.68 

.85 

2.38 

2.52 

3.03 

3.41 

Colby. 

24 

.22 

.54 

.75 

2.30 

2. 27 

3.28 

2.57 

Iloxie. 

12 

.36 

.90 

.84 

2.46 

3.04 

2. 70 

3.00 

Wallace. 

42 

.24 

.45 

.52 

1.82 

2.63 

2. 50 

3.34 

Gove. 

23 

.38 

.69 

.75 

2.23 

2.86 

3.51 

3. 65 

Tribune. 

12 

.40 

.52 

1.14 

2. 54 

1.68 

2.63 

2.50 

Coolidge. 

14 

.22 

.44 

.20 

1.66 

2.38 

2.47 

3.02 

Lakin. 

22 

.27 

.82 

.61 

2. 27 

1.88 

2. 56 

2.41 

Garden City. 

23 

.32 

.82 

.84 

2. 06 

2.34 

3.51 

3.25 

I)odge City. 

37 

.47 

.71 

.88 

1.87 

3.34 

3.32 

3.38 

Ulysses. 

21 

.36 

.67 

.52 

1.68 

2. 78 

3.08 

3.02 

Hugo ton. 

8 

.53 

.60 

.77 

2. 87 

1.46 

3.64 

3.65 

Virogua. 

16 

.45 

.70 

.67 

1.80 

2.18 

2.44 

3.47 

Kenton. 

11 

.25 

.64 

.63 

1.78 

2. 48 

1.91 

2.23 

Beaver. 

15 

.60 

.41 

.70 

2.19 

3.53 

3.19 

2. 77 

Mean. 


.36 

. 65 

.75 

2.18 

2.53 

2.94 

3.08 


i U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils, Advance Sheets Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1910. 


















































































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


13 


Mean monthly rainfall of western Kansas and Oklahoma —Continued. 


Place. 

August. 

Septem¬ 

ber. 

Octo¬ 

ber. 

Novem¬ 

ber. 

Decem¬ 

ber. 

Total. 

April to 
Septem¬ 
ber. 
Total. 


Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Oberlin. 

2.89 

1.80 

1.24 

0.63 

0.61 

22.90 

17.78 

Achilles. 

2.58 

2.40 

1.25 

.54 

.43 

20.33 

16.32 

Colby. 

2.45 

1.41 

1.10 

.51 

.36 

17.76 

14.28 

Hoxie. 

2. 73 

2.63 

1.36 

.39 

.50 

20.91 

16.56 

Wallace. 

1.97 

1.32 

.94 

.47 

.44 

16.64 

13.58 

Gove. 

2.06 

2. 24 

1.26 

.59 

.53 

20. 75 

16. 55 

Tribune. 

1.65 

.95 

.72 

.43 

.38 

15. 54 

11.95 

Coolidge. 

1.91 

1.39 

.99 

. 54 

.29 

15.51 

12.83 

Lakin. 

1.92 

1.60 

.93 

.52 

.48 

16. 27 

12.64 

Garden City. 

1.79 

1.78 

1.08 

.64 

.62 

19.05 

14.73 

Dodge City. 

2.59 

1.77 

1.40 

. 55 

.56 

20.84 

16. 27 

Ulysses. 

1.42 

1.79 

.83 

.51 

. 5S 

17. 24 

13.77 

Hugoton. 

1.89 

2.19 

1.22 

.78 

.52 

20.12 

15.70 

Virogua. 

1.77 

2.15 

1.15 

. 56 

.66 

18.00 

13.81 

Kenton. 

2.14 

1.66 

.82 

.58 

.34 

15.46 

12.20 

Beaver. 

2.36 

2.06 

1.28 

1.19 

.58 

20. 86 

16.10 

Mean. 

2.13 

1.82 

1.10 

.59 

.49 

18.62 

14. 68 


While some of the stations lie east of the area included in this 
investigation, the general mean is fairly representative of the area 
investigated. The minimum annual rainfall is that at Kenton, 15.46 
inches, and the maximum that at Oberlin, 22.90 inches. The accom¬ 
panying small map (fig. 4) shows the variation in rainfall across 
Kansas. The portion falling during the crop season from April to 
September varies from a minimum of 12.20 inches at Kenton to a 
maximum of 17.78 inches at Oberlin, averaging 14.68 inches, or 79 


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Fig. 4.—Rainfall map of Kansas. 

per cent of the total mean annual rainfall of 18.62 inches. The 
amounts falling in each month are shown graphically in figure 5. 
This seasonable distribution of the rainfall is typical of the High 
Plains region and would be very advantageous for crops were it not 
for the fact that evaporation during the summer is also at a maxi¬ 
mum. In the years of maximum rainfall the amount is approxi¬ 
mately double the mean and in minimum years it is one-half of the 
mean. Three or four consecutive years may occur in which the 






























































14 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


precipitation may be either higher or lower than normal and also 
two consecutive years have occurred in each of which the rainfall 
was only one-half of the mean, as at Colby, Wallace, and Gove in 
1910 and 1911. 

The evaporation from a free water surface at the Garden City 
experiment station for the past four years has averaged 52.7 inches 
for the six months April to September. The following table shows 
the summary of these records: 


Evaporation from water surface at Garden City, Kans., 1909-1912. 


Month. 

1909 

1910 

1911 

1912 

Mean. 

April. . . 

Inches. 

6.35 

Inches. 
7. 76 

Inches. 
7.10 

Inches. 
6. 80 

Inches. 

7.00 

May. 

8. 99 

6.33 

9. 72 

10. 82 

8. 90 

June. 

8. 76 

9. 43 

11. 85 

8.58 

9. 66 

July. 

9.97 

10. 48 

10.25 

10. 64 

10. 34 

August. 

9. 88 

7.61 

10. 18 

9. 15 

9. 20 

September. 

7. 46 

6. 82 

8. 92 

7.09 

7.57 


Total. 

51.41 

48. 43 

58. 02 

53. 08 

52.73 



Records in 1910 and 1912 also indicate a mean evaporation of 
about 6 inches for October. Evaporation was measured daily, the 
maximum daily loss recorded being 0.78 inch, a loss of over 0.5 

inch per day occurring in an aver¬ 
age of 10 days each season. The 
effect of the hot winds in increas¬ 
ing the daily evaporation was 
quite noticeable. 



DROUGHTS. 

The following table shows a 
summary of the droughts at the 
stations where the longest rain¬ 
fall records are available. The 
daily precipitation records dur¬ 
ing the months April to Septem¬ 
ber were examined, and periods 
of 30 days or over in which there 
was a total rainfall of less than 1 inch were considered as droughts 
which would be injurious to crop production and in which irrigation 
would be of direct advantage. 


Fig. 5—Mean monthly precipitation at stations in 
western Kansas and Oklahoma. 


Periods of SO days or over from April to September during which there was less than 

1 inch of rainfall. 


Station. 

Length of 
record. 

Number 

of 

droughts. 

Average 

length. 

Longest 

drought. 

Number 
of years 
without 
droughts. 

Oberlin. 

Years. 

19 

17 

Days. 

39 

Days. 

60 

8 

Colby. 

19 

23 

46 

62 

4 

Wallace. 

26 

44 

46 

82 

0 

Gore. 

19 

29 

44 

79 

3 

Garden City. 

17 

19 

44 

69 

8 

Dodge City. 

36 

58 

41 

57 

4 

Ulysses. 

17 

35 

43 

73 

0 

Kenton. 

11 

25 

44 

85 

0 

Beaver. 

12 

25 

41 

67 

1 

All stations. 

176 

275 

43 

85 

28 











































































IRRIGATION 11ST WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 15 

At all stations except Oberlin an average of more than one drought 
per season occurs, the mean for the full record being 1.56 droughts per 
year. In only 28, or one-sixth, of the total of the 176 years recorded 
were no droughts found, and at Wallace, Ulysses, and Kenton at least 
one such drought occurred in every year of record. The irregularity of 
the occurrence of these droughts is shown by a comparison of 9 
years at Coolidge, Garden City, and Dodge City, lying in an east-and- 
west line across western Kansas. At Coolidge there were 18 
droughts; at Garden City, 9; at Dodge City, the most easterly station, 
14; the average length being 41 days. Crops which do not receive 
at least 1 inch of ram in 30 days under the climatic conditions which 
prevail in western Kansas and Oklahoma during the growing season 
will suffer, and the advantage of irrigation is evident. Even though 
the mean annual rainfall during the months of April to September 
is 14.68 inches, in this region of intense midday heat and almost 
incessant wind no method of tillage which may be employed can 
prevent a reduction in the yield of nonirrigated crops which may be 
subjected to such droughts. 

As showers of one-tliird inch, or in some cases even one-half inch, 
during the season of high winds and evaporation can hardly be con¬ 
sidered to be of much benefit to the crops, the size of the storms in 
which the greater portion of the total precipitation occurs becomes 
of importance. An examination of the daily rainfall records of the 
stations longest maintained in western Kansas and Oklahoma shows 
that practically one-half of the total precipitation occurs in storms 
totaling 1 inch or over. These heavy rains averaged 1J inches in 
depth. During the months April to September one of these storms 
occurs on an average of every 45 days; during the six months from 
October to March there is an average of less than 1 per year. It is 
these heavy rams which furnish the storm flows of the local torrential 
streams. Owing to the uncertainty of obtaining heavy rains during 
the winter season with which to fill reservoirs for use the next summer, 
storage would have to be obtained mainly during the growing season. 
This would shorten the length of time during wliich water would be 
held in the reservoirs and thus reduce evaporation losses. However, 
the climatic conditions on these local streams are the same as on the 
lands to be watered; in dry years, when irrigation is the most valuable, 
the supply available for storage would be the smallest. At Wallace 
during 13 years of the 27 examined, no heavy rains occurred from 
October to March, and hi 6 years the total precipitation in storms 
greater than 1 inch was less than 5 inches. The maximum single 
storm occurred May 22, 1876, when 9.3 inches fell. Minimum run¬ 
off conditions occurred in 1911, when no rainfall exceeding 1 inch 
occurred from August, 1910, to June, 1911. The year 1911 was one 
of low rainfall, when storage would have been of much value, yet the 
precipitiation during the year was not sufficient to have filled reser¬ 
voirs depending on storm run-off. These special details regarding 
rainfall at Wallace are typical of the other rainfall records. Records 
of excessive precipitation at Dodge City show that rates as high as 1 
inch per hour are to be expected and that unusual storms will exceed 
this rate. 


16 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


TEMPERATURE. 

The mean annual temperature averages from 50° to 57° F., with a 
maximum monthly mean of approximately 75° in June and July 
and a minimum monthly mean of 29° in January. The extremes 
range from 110° to —30°. The last killing frost in spring occurs 
usually about May 1 and the first in the autumn from October 1 to 
October 10, giving a usual season between frosts of 150 to 165 days. 
Damage to standing crops in the fall is not usual although in some 
years delayed planting due to unfavorable moisture conditions in 
the spring may prevent some sorghum, Kafir, or maize from maturing 
before the autrnun frosts. 


WINDS. 

The hot, dry winds which occur irregularly over this area are one 
of its greatest agricultural handicaps. One of these winds may in 
a day counteract the benefits of a preceding rain. In addition 
they make difficult the use of dust mulches, as the soil if broken too 
finelv will blow and drift. 

Conservation of Soil Moisture. 

One of the most important factors influencing successful farming 
in the semiarid belt is the conservation of the moisture which enters 
the soil either from the natural precipitation or by irrigation. 

There are three ways in which moisture escapes from the soil 
without benefiting the crops, namely, surface run-off, deep percola¬ 
tion, and evaporation. Under irrigation all three of these are more 
or less under the control of the farmer, but when only the natural 
rainfall is depended on, the lessening of evaporation losses is by far 
the most important since the other losses are only partly under the 
control of the farmer. 

Water is drawn upward through the soil from one particle to 
another by capillary attraction and evaporated at or near the surface. 
If the soil is stirred by cultivation the soil particles are so completely 
separated that capillarity and evaporation are checked. This office 
has made a study of the effect of artificial soil mulches in checking 
evaporation. The following discussion and chart (fig. 6), taken 
from a report of these investigations, 1 give a summary of the results 
obtained at State College, N. Mex.; Bozeman, Mont.; Davis, Cal.; 
Reno, Nev.; Sunnyside, Wash.; and Caldwell, Idaho. 

Tanks 23^ inches in diameter w T ere used. An amount of water 
equivalent to a 6-inch irrigation was applied to 8 tanks at each of 
the 6 stations. As soon after irrigation as practical the surface of 4 
of the tanks was stirred to a depth of 6 inches reproducing as nearly 
as possible the conditions of field cultivation. The difference in evapo¬ 
ration between the cultivated and uncultivated tanks was obtained 
by weighing at three or four day intervals. 

The average total losses shown by the above data are 2.13 inches from the uncul¬ 
tivated and 1.58 inches from the cultivated soils, being 35.5 and 26.3 per cent, 
respectively, of the total 6 inches used in irrigation. Thus it is seen that cultivation 
reduced the loss more than 25.8 per cent. Fifty-one per cent of the loss from the 


1 U. S. Dept. Agr., Office Expt. Stas. Bui. 248. 


/ 



IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 17 

cultivated surface occurred in the first three days, that is, during the average period 
between irrigation and cultivation; while during the same period the uncultivated 
tanks lost 38.5 per cent of the total. The saving due to cultivation when figured in 
percentages is naturally low because of these heavy first losses. If the losses during 
the first three days in each case are disregarded, however, and only the losses after 
the first cultivation are considered, the saving due to cultivation averages 40 per cent 
of the loss from the uncultivated soil. 

The most noteworthy feature of this experiment was the uniformly heavy losses 
immediately after irrigation. This emphasizes the necessity of early cultivation, 
especially in the heavier soils, where the percolation of moisture through the soil 
is slow and the moisture content of the surface soil is high. The actual saving of 
water may be small to the irrigator having an abundant water supply at hand, but 
it is well to remember that the saving of 0.5 to 1 inch of water per irrigation amounts 
to several inches during the season and often marks the dividing line between success 
and failure as regards the crop. 

In figure 6 the solid lines represent the total loss in pounds from cultivated and 
uncultivated soils, and the dotted lines represent the same losses after the rainfall 



AVERAGE 28-DAV PER/OO 


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DA VS 


Pig. 6.—Average evaporation losses from cultivated and uncultivated tanks during first 28 days after 

irrigation. Average of losses at six stations. 

(Solid lines show total loss including rainfall. Dotted lines show total loss excluding rainfall.) 

for the different periods has been deducted. The irregularities in the solid curves 
are no doubt due to the evaporation of the rainfall, and when this has been deducted 
more uniform curves result. 

Both curves of the cultivated soils show a decided break after the fourteenth day, 
due to the increased evaporation from the fresh soil turned up by cultivation at that 
time. • After this small increase in loss the curves drop back and the losses for the 
remainder of the experiment appear smaller than ever. 

These results show the saving of moisture due to cultivation, and 
while the conditions at none of the stations at which experiments 
were made are entirely comparable with those in western Kansas and 
Oklahoma, the general average should be closely indicative of the 
saving to be expected in any of the arid or semiarid States. The 
local difficulties in maintaining soil mulches due to the danger of 
having the surface blown away by the prevalent high winds cause 


74505°— S. Doc. 1021, 62-3-2 



































































































18 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


many of those practicing summer tillage to prefer to list their soil 
instead of using the usual mulch. 

Agricultural conditions in this portion of the Great Plains area are 
quite thoroughly discussed in a bulletin of the Department of Agri¬ 
culture. 1 In summing up the agricultural future of the region the 
author states: 

The hopes for better results in the future than have been secured in the past lie in 
(1) the continuance of high prices of agricultural products, (2) the general adoption 
of better methods of cultivation especially adapted to the conservation of moisture, 
(3) the introduction and development of more drought-resistant varieties of grains, 
forage crops, grasses, and vegetables, (4) the more careful and systematic management 
of the farm as a whole, (5) a change of attitude among the people from that of sojourners 
and speculators to that of permanent home builders, and (6) the fact that there is 
now a considerable population of drought-resistant settlers. 

In discussing summer tillage it is estimated that not more than 
40 to 60 per cent of the rainfall can be gotten deep enough into the 
soil of a summer-tilled field to be retained there. 

Ordinarily showers of one-third of an inch or less coming in the warm part of the 
year are utterly useless as far as storing water in summer-tilled land is concerned 
and not infrequently are a source of positive loss, as, being only sufficient to wet 
the surface mulch and cause a crust to form, they make cultivation necessary for no 
other purpose than to break the crust thus produced, in order to prevent the loss of 
water already stored in the lower layers of soil and to prevent the growth of weeds 
that would immediately spring up. 

Summer tillage is not practiced as extensively in western Kansas 
and Oklahoma as in other dry farming sections. It is considered to 
be advantageous for winter wheat, but it is not generally thought 
profitable for spring grains or corn. 

Comparison of Yields of Irrigated and Nonirrigated Crops. 

Irrigation experiments were carried on at the Fort Hays Branch 
Experiment Station of the Kansas State Agricultural College in 
cooperation with this office in 1903 and 1904. The station is located 
at Hays, the county seat of Ellis County and about 150 miles east of 
the western line of the State. While this station is east of the portion 
of Kansas covered in this investigation, conditions are fairly repre¬ 
sentative of those throughout the western part of the State, where the 
value of irrigation is even greater. 

The results of the experiments made in 1903 are given below. 


Yield per acre of irrigated and nonirrigated potatoes. 


V ariety. 

Width 

be¬ 

tween 

rows. 

Yield per acre. 

Gain by irrigation. 

Large. 

Small. 

Total. 

Large. 

Small. 

Per 

cent. 2 

Burbank, irrigated. 

Inches. 

36 

36 

36 

36 

30 

30 

Bushels 
62.92 
26. 66 
39.83 
17.85 
49:51 
18.65 

Bushels. 

41.25 

27.22 

37.22 
30. 70 
32.63 
28. 32 

Bushels. 
105.17 
53.88 
77.05 
48.55 
82.16 
46.99 

Bushels. 

Bushels. 


Burbank’ nonirrigated. 

Kaw Valley Ohio, irrigated. 

Kaw Valley Ohio, not irrigated. 

Kaw Valley Ohio, irrigated. 

Kaw Valley Ohio, not irrigated. 

37.26 

14.03 

95 

21.98 

6. 52 

59 

30. 86 

4.31 

75 


1 U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 215. 2 Based on total yield. 

































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


19 


In 1903 water was applied to cabbage twice and the effect of irriga¬ 
tion as compared with that not irrigated is shown in the following 


Effect of irrigation on cabbage as compared with that not irrigated. 



“Sure head.” 

Irrigated. 

Not irri¬ 
gated. 

Total plants. 

463 

195 

141 

2.88 

120 

26.5 

456 

94 

111 

2.27 

251 

55.0 

Number of good heads. 

Second-grade heads. 

Average weight per head, pounds. 

Plants not producing heads. 

Percentage of plants not producing heads. 



The following table shows the yield of corn irrigated, not irrigated, 
and gain resulting from irrigation: 

Yield of varieties of irrigated and nonirrigated corn , and gain resulting from irrigation. 


Variety. 

• 

Yield per acre. 

Gain per acre due to 
irrigation. 

Irrigated. 

Not irri¬ 
gated. 

Smith Center Yellow. 

Bushels. 
45.14 
34. 66 
23.52 
38.17 
35.94 

Bushels. 

37.14 

27.14 
20. 47 
27.83 
27.83 

Bushels. 

8 

7.52 
3.05 
10.34 
8.11 

Per cent. 

22 

28 

15 

37 

29 

Minnesota No. 13. 

Colorado Yellow No. 1. 

Australian White No. 2. 

Colorado No. 3. 



Similar experiments in 1904 showed that all crops responded favor¬ 
ably to irrigation. The following table shows the comparative yields 
of potatoes for 1904: 

Yield of potatoes. 

BURBANK. 


Acre¬ 

age. 

Irrigated. 

Not irrigated. 

.Gain due to irrigation. 

Season. 

Date watered. 

Wa¬ 

ter 

ap¬ 

plied. 

First 

grade. 

Sec¬ 

ond 

grade. 

To¬ 

tal. 

First 

grade. 

Sec¬ 

ond 

grade. 

To¬ 

tal. 

First 

grade. 

Sec¬ 

ond 

grade. 

Total. 

Per 

cent. 



In. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 

Bu. 


0.5 

Winter.. Apr. 12-13. 

3.83 

71.08 

25. 76 

96. 84 

49. 24 

24.52 

73. 76 

21.84 

1.24 

23.08 

31.29 

.5 

Summer. June 28. 

1.01 

53.94 

25.50 

79. 44 

34.54 

23.52 

58. 06 

19. 40 

1.98 

21.38 

36.82 


KAW VALLEY OHIO. 


0.5 

Winter.. Apr. 12-13. 

3.83 

57.34 

49.12 

106. 46 

30.84 

34.74 

65.58 

26.50 

14.38 

40.88 

62.33 

.5 

Summer. June 28. 

1.01 

50.04 

24.24 

74. 28 

31.56 

31.16 

62. 72 

18.48 

-6.92 

11.56 

18. 43 























































































20 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA 


Yields of Kafir corn and sorghum . 

KAFIR CORN. 


Acre¬ 

age. 

Season. 

Irrigated. 

Not irri¬ 
gated; yield 
per acre. 

Gain due to irrigation. 

Date watered. 

Water 

ap¬ 

plied. 

Yield per 
acre. 

Seed. 

Fod¬ 

der. 

Seed. 

Fodder. 

Seed. 

Fod¬ 

der. 




In. 

Bu. 

Tons. 

Bu. 

Tons. 

Bu. 

P. ct. 

Ton*. 

P. cf. 

0.5 

Winter.. 

Apr. 13-15. 

6.58 

42. 86 

3.02 

44. 64 

1. 72 

-1. 78 

-3.98 

1.30 

75.50 

.5 

Summer. 

July 27. 

4. 02 

35. 36 

4.50 

19. 64 

1. 72 

15.72 

80.04 

2. 78 

161.60 


SORGHUM (COLMAN). 


0.5 

Winter.. 

Apr. 15. 

3.04 

35.36 

7. 18 

32. 86 

2.69 

2.50 

7.60 

4. 49 

166.9 

.5 

Summer. 

July 27. 

5.54 

40. 00 

7.53 

36. 70 

2.69 

4. 30 

12. 04 

4. 84 

179. 9 


Yield of corn ( Kellogg's Pride of Saline). 


Acre¬ 

age. 

Season. 

Irrigated. 

Not irrigated. 

Date watered. 

Water 

ap¬ 

plied. 

Yield per acre. 

First 

grade. 

Second 

grade. 

First 

grade. 

Second 

grade. 

Total 
seed. 

Total 

fodder. 




Inches. 

Bush. 

Bush. 

Bush. 

Tons. 

Bush. 

Bush. 

0.5 

Winter.. 

Apr. 15-16. 

5.38 

46. 28 

5. 14 

51.42 

1. 71 

41.58 

5.70 

.5 

Summer. 

July 26. 

4.54 

53. 42 

5. 72 

59. 14 

1.77 

37. 42 

5. 70 


Acreage. 

Not irrigated. 

Total gain due to irrigation. 

Total. 

Corn. 

Fodder. 

Corn. 

Fodder. 

Seed. 

Fodder. 

First 

grade. 

Second 

grade. 

First 

grade. 

Second 

grade. 

0.5 

.5 

Bushels. 
47. 28 
43. 12 

Tpns. 

0. 80 
.80 

Bushels. 

4.70 

16 

Bushels. 

0.56 

.02 

Tons. 

Tons. 

Bushels. 
4. 14 
16. 02 

Per cent. 
8. 75 
37. 15 

Tons. 

0.91 

.97 

Per cent. 
113.7 
121.2 


Yield of alfalfa. 


Acreage. 

Season. 

Irrigated. 

Not irrigated. 

Date watered. 

Water 

applied. 

Yield 

per 

acre. 

Yield 

per 

acre. 

Gain due to 
irrigation. 

1. 

Winter.... 
Summer.. 

Apr. 16-18. 

Inches. 
16. 9 
13.6 

Tons. 

3.40 

3.04 

Tons. 

2. 60 
2. 76 

Tons. 

0.80 

.28 

Per ct. 
30. 74 
10.14 

1. 

July 27-29. 








































































































































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


21 


Experiments carried on at the experiment farm at Garden City, 
Ivans., in 1912, show the increased yield of crops due to the use of 
water. The yield of oats from irrigated plats was 55 bushels per acre 
and that from unirrigated tracts 30 bushels per acre, showing a gain 
of 83.3 per cent due to irrigation. 

Twenty-four bushels of wheat per acre were obtained from irrigated 
plats and 13 bushels per acre from unirrigated plats, showing a gain 
of 84.6 per cent. 

Water Supply. 

INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION. 

The surface water supply of western Kansas and Oklahoma is 
comparatively small and the streams torrential in their flow. With 
the exception of the Arkansas River, they do not head in regions of 
sufficiently high altitude to have their summer flow maintained by 
melting snow but rise in the plains areas of eastern Colorado and New 
Mexico where both climatic and topographic conditions are unfavor¬ 
able for a large run-off. The few actual discharge records which are 
available are presented in this report with the description of each 
stream. Most of the measurements, however, were made at points 
much to the east of the limits of this investigation and therefore show 
much larger, discharges than are available in the western portion of 
Kansas and Oklahoma. 

As the general climatic conditions on the drainage areas of the 
streams differ but slightly from those on the lands to be irrigated 
by them, in years of low rainfall when irrigation is most needed the 
stream discharges are at the lowest and the streams have their maxi¬ 
mum discharge at the times when the demands for their use are the 
least urgent, because in years of high rainfall crops can be matured 
without irrigation. 

It is unusually difficult to make any estimates of the run-off of 
unmeasured streams of this section on the basis of the drainage areas 
and the rainfall. The limits of the watersheds of the various streams 
are indefinite, the typical drainage areas consist of the steeper slopes 
near the creeks merging into the broad flat uplands on which no 
existing maps give contours sufficiently close to determine accurately 
the dividing lines between the streams. However, a close determi¬ 
nation of the drainage areas would be of little use in such cases, as much 
of this higher upland is practically nonproductive of run-off owing to 
its general flatness and the numerous 11 lagoons,” or slight depressions 
without outlets, which collect and retain the small run-off from a 
considerable proportion of the total area. 

The short grasses form the typical vegetation, buffalo grass cover¬ 
ing the larger areas. This grass sod prevents erosion almost entirely 
and yields but little run-off except in the heaviest rains. As the 
largest part of the annual rainfall occurs in the summer months when 
the evaporation is at its maximum, it is probable that practically all 
of the precipitation on the uncultivated uplands is returned into the 
air as evaporation. The principal drainage basins of which parts are 
included in this report are those of Republican, Smoky Hill, Arkansas, 
Cimarron, and Canadian Rivers. 


22 


IRRIGATION IN AVESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


REPUBLICAN RIVER DRAINAGE. 

The Republican River unites at Junction, Kans., with the Smoky 
Hill to form the Kansas River, the drainage area,of which lies inter¬ 
mediate between those of the Platte and the Arkansas Rivers. The 
tributaries of the Republican which are of interest in this investiga¬ 
tion are the South Fork of Republican River, the two branches of 
Beaver Creek, North and South Forks of Sappa Creek, and Prairie Dog 
Creek, the last two of which rise in the area investigated but do not 
attain sufficient size to be of importance until after the more humid 
areas are reached. 

The total drainage area of the Republican River is 25,800 square 
miles. The discharge for the period 1896 to 1905 was measured by 
the United States Geological SurA^ey, from the records of Avhich the 
following mean monthly discharge table is taken: 

Mean monthly discharge of Republican River, near Junction , Kans., for the period July, 

1895, to October 81, 190o. x 


[Drainage area, 25,800 square miles.] 


Month. 


Discharge in second-feet. 


Total in 
acre-feet. 2 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

Per square 
mile. 

January. 

1,985 

325 

713 

0.028 

43,600 

February. 

6,230 

280 

1,010 

.039 

55,800 

March. 

13,500 

504 

1,500 

.058 

91,700 

April. 

12,300 

375 

1,250 

.048 

74,000 

May. 

47,520 

325 

2,830 

.110 

173,200 

June. 

44,280 

290 

3,180 

.123 

188,300 

July. 

37,500 

75 

3,000 

.121 

183.000 

August. 

25,000 

20 

1,490 

.051 

91*000 

September. 

10,500 

20 

704 

.028 

41,500 

October. 

5,150 

• 35 

515 

.021 

31,500 

November. 

1,480 

63 

469 

.019 

27,600 

December. 

2,443 

173 

554 

.022 

33,600 

The period. 

47,520 

20 

1,430 

.056 

1,034,800 


1 U. S. Geol. Survey, AVater-Supply Paper 273, p. 231. 2 Computed from mean discharge. 


The mean annual run-off is at the average rate of 40 acre-feet per 
square mile of drainage area. The shorter records, given later, on 
the South Fork of the Republican, covering 5,900 square miles of the 
higher and more arid portion, indicate a mean annual run-off of from 
6 to 8 acre-feet per square mile of drainage area. No records are 
available on the other tributaries in western Kansas, but it is to be 
expected that their run-off will be at a rate intermediate between 
that of the South Fork of Republican River and the average for the 
whole stream, as the highest rate and largest part of the discharge at 
Junction is derived from the eastern portion of the drainage area, 
where the rainfall is heaviest and the percentage of run-off highest. 

SOUTH FORK OF REPUBLICAN RIVER. 

* 

The South Fork of Republican River rises in northeastern Colorado 
and flows across Cheyenne County in northwestern Kansas to its 
junction with the main Republican River at Benkelman, Nebr., 
the drainage area of the South Fork being approximately 6,000 
































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


23 


square miles. Compared with those of the other streams of western 
Kansas, its watershed is rougher and the draws are steeper. Dis¬ 
charge records for parts of 1903 to 1906 at Benkelman, Nebr., 
are available and show a run-off of about 25,000 acre-feet during the 
8 summer months in which the measurements were maintained. 
The South Fork flows throughout the winter and the total annual 
run-off may be from 1J times to double that during the 8 months of 
record. 


Estimated discharge of South Fork of Republican River at Benkelman, Nebr., 1903-1909. 1 

[Drainage area, 5,910 square miles.) 


Month. 


1903. 

May 20 to 31. 

June. 

July.. 

August. 

Sept. 1 to 5 and 14 to 30. 

October..... 

Nov. 1 to 20.. 


1904. 

March. 

April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 

August... 

September. 

October.: 

November. 


1905. 

Mar. 17 to 31. 

April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 

Aug. 1 to 13. 


1906. 


April....... 

May. 

June. 

July. 

August. 

September.. 

October. 

November.. 


Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 
acre-feet. 2 

Maxi¬ 

mum. 

Mini¬ 

mum. 

Mean. 

57 

36 

48 

1.140 

65 

7 

37 

2, 200 

36 

7 

15 

922 

79 

7 

25 

1,540 

22 

7 

15 

655 

50 

7 

39 

2.400 

65 

50 

57 

2, 260 

102 

31 

60 

3.690 

66 

6 

21 

1,260 

255 

47 

92 

5,680 

397 

47 

132 

7,850 

115 

5 

39 

2,420 

89 

11 

24 

1,480 

47 

5 

13 

774 

115 

31 

57 

3,540 

66 

47 

59 

3,530 

249 

96 

159 

4.730 

300 

52 

141 

8,390 

137 

52 

100 

6,150 

283 

21 

68.6 

4,082 

152 

5 

35.4 

2.180 

96 

21 

47.7 

1,230 

317 

73 

129.0 

7,680 

215 

52 

99.3 

6.110 

52 


90.3 

5,370 

183 


10.9 

670 





61 


21.8 

1,340 

61 

36 

48.0 

2,860 


1 U. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Paper 258, p. 106. 2 Computed from mean discharge. 


Owing to the wide sandy channel of the river (PI. I, fig. 1), water 
is obtainable throughout a large section of the bottoms, which vary 
from one-half to 2 miles in width, by pumping from the gravel, which 
averages about 15 feet in thickness and lies at low depths. Several 
ditches have been constructed to cover portions of this bottom land, 
1,515 acres being reported by the census as irrigated in 1909. Only a 
part of the canals are operated at present. 

Surveys were made by private parties for a reservoir having a dam 
in section 19, township 1 south, range 38 west, sixth principal meridian, 
filings being made in the office of the register of deeds at St. Francis. 
By the construction of a dam 70 feet high and 7,000 feet in length a 



















































24 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


reservoir capacity of 69,000 acre-feet could be obtained. As the land 
which it was intended to irrigate lies in Nebraska, no examination of the 
site was made in this investigation. The portion of the river from 
the Colorado State line to points below St. Francis was examined, but 
at no place were any good dam sites found, the valley being broad and 
having no places where a dam could be constructed without excessive 
length in proportion to the storage and water supply available. 
Owing to the sandy nature of the river bottoms it would also be 
difficult to build a dam which would cut off the underflow. 

Two small reservoir sites upon minor tributaries from the north, 
which are described later, were surveyed. Their use would not affect 
the larger problems of the utilization of the discharge of the South 
Fork of the Republican, which it is believed can best be accomplished 
by pumping on the bottom lands and by direct diversion, including 
winter irrigation, for the higher bottom lands and possibly some of 
the uplands. 

BEAVER CREEK. 

This Beaver Creek (there are several of its name in both Kansas and 
Oklahoma) rises in eastern Colorado and flows northeasterly into 
Nebraska, joining Sapp a Creek a short distance above its mouth. No 
discharge records are available for this stream. The Middle Beaver 
unites with the main branch at Atwood, the total drainage area in 
Kansas being about 1,500 square miles. There is usually continuous 
flow from October to May in the section included in this investigation. 
Floods follow the heavier rains and contribute a large portion of the 
total run-off. The main valley varies in width from 1.2 to 2 miles, 
the bottom lands being used for alfalfa and other crops. 

One reservoir site was surveyed on the main Beaver Creek in south¬ 
western Rawlins County (p. 33). A few small lakes now exist along 
the creek, but they are not used for irrigation to any considerable ex¬ 
tent. The site surveyed is the best that was found on this stream 
and was perhaps better than those found on any of the other streams 
included in this reconnoissance. 

Good sites for medium-sized reservoirs would be difficult to secure, 
as the width of the valley makes the largest practical construction the 
most economical. Small ponds for portions of individual farms might 
be obtained, although good results are now secured by subirrigation 
on much of the bottom lands which such small storage would supply. 

SAPrA CREEK. 

Both forks of Sapp a Creek, which joins the Republican River near 
Orleans, Nebr., rise in the area covered in this investigation and do 
not attain sufficient size to warrant any extensive use until the more 
humid sections are reached. The creek beds are eroded from 100 to 
200 feet below the general level of the plains and follow valleys sloping 
about 15 feet per mile. The topography is somewhat more broken 
than on the creeks farther to the south, the side tributaries having 
cut themselves into the plain to a greater extent. No reservoir sites 
were surveyed in the Sappa Creek drainage, as no information regarding 
opportunities for storage could be obtained and none were noted in 
the portions of these creeks visited. However, the same opportu¬ 
nities for storage in small units exists on tills stream as on the other 
creeks in this portion of the State. 


S. Doc. 1021,62-3 


PLATE I. 




FIG. 2— BEAVER CREEK RESERVOIR SITE, LOOKING UPSTREAM FROM DAM SITE 








IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


25 


PRAIRIE DOG CREEK. 

Prairie Dog Creek rises in the eastern portion of the area included 
in this investigation but does not attain sufficient size to be of value 
for irrigation before reaching the more humid sections. No examina¬ 
tions for storage were made on its drainage area. 

SMOKY HILL RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN. 

The second main drainage system encountered in going from north 
to south in western Kansas is that of the Smoky Kill River, which, 
with the Republican on the north, forms the Kansas or Kaw River at 
Junction City. The total drainage area is 20,500 square miles, of 
which about one-third drains through the Solomon River and one-sixth 
through the Saline River. Blackberry and Beaver or Ladder Creeks 
are other tributaries. In the western part of Kansas the topography 
of the Smoky Hill drainage is generally less broken than on the 
Republican River. 

SMOKY HILL RIVER. 


The main valley of the Smoky Hill River is deeply cut into the 
plain, and in some portions has the characteristic appearance of the 
bad lands. Records of the discharge of Smoky Hill River, near Ells¬ 
worth, from April, 1895, to December, 1904, a summary of which is 
given in the accompanying table, indicate a mean annual run-off of 
about 23 acre-feet per square mile. 

Monthly discharge of Smoky Hill River near Ellsworth , Kans.,for the period April, 1895, 

to December, 1904. 1 

[Drainage area 7,980 square miles.] 


Month. 


0 


January. 

February. 

March. 

April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 

August. 

September. 

October. 

November. 

December. 

The period 


Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 
acre-feet. 2 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

172 

14 

45.6 

2,800 

213 

17 

57.2 

3,100 

1,410 

14 

36.5 

2,200 

1,834 

10 

93.5 

5,500 

11,392 

13 

321 

19,700 

4,856 

10 

410 

24,300 

7,947 

5 

448 

27,500 

862 

5 

256 

15,700 

7,840 

12 

170 

10,100 

1,390 

14 

477 

29,300 

187 

8 

423 

25,100 

268 

12 

347 

21,300 

11,392 

5 

257. 

186,600 


i U. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Paper 273, p. 215.- 2 Computed from mean discharge. 


The point of measurement is above the mouth of Saline and Solo¬ 
mon Rivers and over 100 miles east of the area included in this report. 
In its course through the varying geological formations the main river 
in its upper portion may be dry at some points and perennial at others. 
The larger part of the discharge at Ellsworth is derived from the lower 
drainage areas, both rainfall and run-oxf conditions being more favor¬ 
able, so that the run-off from the western part of the drainage will 
be much less than the average for the whole area. A small flow is 


































26 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


maintained at some points in the upper course by springs derived 
from the lower-lying formations in which the river lias eroded its 
channel. No favorable sites for reservoirs were found along Smoky 
Hill River itself, and no information regarding good opportunities 
could be obtained from those familiar with the stream. At the con¬ 
fluence of North and South Forks of the Smoky Hill, about 6 miles 
west of Russel Springs in Logan County, a dam could be constructed 
which would back water up both forks, and in this manner secure 
enough capacity to justify the cost of the long dam required, although 
it is doubtful if there is sufficient water supply available for such a 
reservoir. This site was not surveyed, because while it might be 
within the limits of practicability the depth of the creek below the 
flat uplands and length of canal required, the uncertain foundations, 
and other features which could not be investigated in the time avail¬ 
able, were considered as being of such importance that the survey of 
capacity and dam site could not give conclusive results. 

Ladder, or Beaver, Creek enters the Smoky Hill about 25 miles north 
of Scott, the total drainage area being between 1,200 and 1,500 square 
miles. A small reservoir site was surveyed near its mouth (see p. 43) 
which is typical of similar ones along its course. A gauging station 
was maintained during 1904 and 1905 above the mouth of Twin Butte 
Creek, and this shows a continuous flow in Ladder Creek, but sufficient 
discharge measurements were not made to establish a rating curve. 
The lower course is supplied by springs, so that at its mouth the flow 
is perennial. Twin Butte and Hackberry Creeks enter from the west 
and drain a rather rough area, the flow being torrential. 

SALINE RIVER. 


The Saline River rises in southwestern Thomas County and, like 
the Solomon, does not attain sufficient size before leaving the territory 
under consideration to warrant storage. Two discharge records are 
available, as shown in the following tables, which give records covering 
the run-off of the entire drainage area. 


Mean monthly discharge of Saline River at Beverly , Kans., for the period April, 1895, to 

June, 1897 2 

[Drainage area, 2,730 square miles.] 


Month. 


January.. 

February. 

March. 

April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 

August. 

September. 

October. 

November. 

December. 

The period 


Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 
acre-feet .2 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

10S 

17 

50 

3,100 

243 

27 

62 

3,400 

67 

27 

47.4 

2,900 

693 

20 

126 

7,500 

3.000 

14 

166 

10,200 

16.000 

21 

1,020 

60,600 

10,000 

73 

430 

26,400 

493 

41 

104 

6,400 

92 

9 

48 

2,800 

6,130 

6 

144 

8,800 

188 

9 

54 

3,200 

98 

13 

47.6 

2,900 

16,000 

6 

192 

138,200 


x V. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Paper 273, p. 220. 2 Computed from mean discharge in second-feec. 





































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


27 


Mean monthly discharge of Saline River, near Salina, Kans., for 1897 to 1903} 

| Drainage area, 3,311 square miles.] 


Month. 

Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 
acre-feet. 2 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

January. 

240 

40 

83 

5,100 

February. 

260 

34 

83.5 

4,600 

March. . 

1,340 

24 

163 

10,000 

April... 

3,580 

24 

222 

13,200 

May. 

7,580 

18 

524 

32, 200 

June. 

7,900 

37 

878 

52.200 

July. 

3,370 

22 

288 

17,700 

August. 

3.410 

7 

323 

19,800 

September. 

3,920 

6 

227 

13.500 

October. 

3,920 

16 

221 

13,600 

November. 

424 

15 

112 

6.700 

December. 

690 

28 

102 

6,200 

The period. 

7,900 

6 

269 

194,800 


1 U. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Paper 273, p. 220. 2 Computed from mean discharge in second-feet. 


These show a mean annual run-off of from 50 to 60 acre-feet per 
square mile. The larger portion of the total discharge is derived from 
the eastern part of the drainage area. The run-off from the portion 
included in the territory covered by this investigation is only a small 
part of the average for the whole area. 

SOLOMON RIVER. 

The two forks of Solomon River rise in Thomas County and have 
not become of sufficient size before leaving the portion considered in 
this inquiry to require consideration, although it might be possible 
to find small storage sites. The upper drainage area consists largely 
of flat uplands, a considerable portion of which is composed of shallow 
u lagoons” without outlets, and the run-off as a whole will be small. 
The onl}” available records of the discharge of either fork of Solomon 
River are those near Beloit from July 1, 1895, to June 30, 1897, and 
at Niles from May 1, 1897, to November 30, 1903, the mean monthly 
discharge as determined from these records being given in the accom¬ 
panying tables. These records indicate the average annual run-off 
to be from 55 to 70 acre-feet per square mile of drainage area. 


Mean monthly discharge of Solomon River, near Beloit, Kans., for the period July 1,1895, 

to June 30, 1897, inclusive. 1 

[Drainage area 5,540 square miles.] 


Month. 

Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

acre-feet. 2 

January . 

1,160 

5 

109 

6. 700 

February ... . 

3,055 

19 

148 

8,200 

March. 

1,160 

8 

161 

9,900 

April . 

18,500 

8 

1,160 

69,100 


4,700 

72 

290 

17, 800 


8,740 

104 

1,110 

66,100 


21,800 

108 

1.720 

106,000 

An mist. . . 

24.000 

92 

992 

61,000 

Sentember . 

960 

14 

143 

8,500 

Ontobpr * . 

6.760 

7 

165 

10,100 

November . 

1,120 

7 

245 

14,600 

Opppmhpr .. 

930 

7 

103 

6,300 







TVip rvpriori 

• 

24,000 

5 

529 

384,300 

' 




i 

1 U. S. Geor. Survey, Water-Supply Paper 273, p. 224. 2 Computed from mean discharge in second-feet. 






























































28 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


Mean monthly discharge of Solomon River at Niles, Kans., for the 'period beginning May 

1, 1897 , ending Nov. 30, 1903} 


[Drainage area 6,820 square miles.] 


Month. 

Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 
acre-feet. 2 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

i 

Mean. 

! 

January. 

410 

46 

160 

9,800 

February. 

830 

54 

169 

9,400 

March. 

5.002 

38 

437 

26,900 

April. 

4.627 

54 

320 

19, 000 

May. 

9,946 

38 

944 

58,000 

June. 

10, 602 

46 

1,380 

82. 200 

July. 

7,040 

7 

841 

51, 700 

August. 

7,091 

7 

750 

46.100 

September... 

7,040 

42 

453 

27. 000 

October. 

7,780 

38 

451 

27, 700 

November. 

855 

38 

213 

12, 700 

December. 

490 

54 

150 

9.200 

The period. 

10,602 

7 

522 

379, 700 


1 U. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Paper 273, p. 224. 2 Computed from mean discharge in second-feet. 


These records include the entire drainage area of the Solomon 
River, the run-off coming mainly from the eastern portion. The 
run-off from the portion of the drainage included in this investigation 
would be but a small part of the average for the whole stream. No 
reservoir sites were surveyed on the Solomon River, as no favorable 
opportunities for medium-sized storage w T ere observed. Although it 
may be feasible to construct individual reservoirs, a water supply 
can hardly be considered available in this portion of the stream. 

WHITE WOMAN CREEK. 

White Woman Creek drains a strip of territory through Greeley, 
Wichita, and Scott Counties as well as some territory in eastern 
Colorado, amounting in all to approximately 1,000 square miles, any 
run-off reaching the lower portions sinking in the basin south and 
east of Scott. In the lower portions of its course its valley is from 
one-fourth to one-half mile in width, the bottoms rising in even 
slopes to the almost level and unbroken flat about 100 feet above, 
which forms a large part of the drainage area. While no records of 
run-off are available, there are but few signs of erosion along the 
streams. In the lower portion the banks have been raised by the 
deposits from overflows, giving the channel a canallike appearance. 
According to the recollections of those familiar with the creek, floods 
do not occur every year and there may even be consecutive years 
without discharge. It is probably possible to secure water by pump¬ 
ing from the underground supply which is augmented by the floods 
in White Woman Creek and thus utilize its flow. No favorable 
reservoir sites were seen. The dams required on sites inspected 
would have been long and the reservoirs shallow, giving a rather 
high cost per unit of capacity and a large evaporation loss. There 
is some land on which alfalfa has been able to grow by sending its 
roots to the underlying water. Pumping plants have recently been 
installed which obtain their supply with lifts of about 80 feet. 































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


29 


ARKANSAS RIVER. 

The Arkansas River is the largest stream crossing the area included 
in this investigation and is the only one which rises in regions of 
sufficiently high altitude to have its flow maintained by melting snow. 
Owing, however, to the large areas of land in Colorado as well as in 
Kansas now irrigated from this river, both directly and by storage, 
and to the many uncertainties involved in the water rights which are 
now in the course of adjudication in the Federal courts, it was con¬ 
sidered that any investigations which could have been made in the 
time available would necessarily be inconclusive regarding questions of 
water supply and that the survey of any reservoir sites which might 
have been found would have but little value. The Arkansas flows 
in a broad sandy valley which affords no opportunities for storage 
in its own channel owing to the length of the dam which would be 
required and the difficulty which Would be experienced in securing a 
foundation. The United States Sugar & Land Co. has a reservoir, 
Lake McKinney, with a capacity of 30,000 acre-feet, which is situated 
on the side of the valley and filled through a canal. The Arkansas 
River receives practically no run-off from its drainage area in western 
Kansas, the rainfall either being lost by evaporation or sinking into 
the ground. On the south side sand hills parallel the river, 300,000 
acres of which are included in the Garden City Forest Reserve. 

The principal irrigation development in Kansas is found in the 
Arkansas Valley, water being obtained both by gravity diversion 
and by pumping, 90 per cent of the area irrigated in the State lying- 
in Hamilton, Kearny, and Finney Counties. The benefits of irri¬ 
gation have been fully demonstrated and its use is limited only by 
the uncertainty of obtaining river Water. Among the later devel¬ 
opments is the pumping of water for use on the uplands, lifts of 
125 to 150 feet being required. A beet-sugar factory at Garden 
City supplies a market for this crop. 

Stream records are available for various points on the Arkansas, 
but owing to the diversions made for irrigation these do not show the 
total run-off and give but little indication of the amounts now 
available for diversion. 

CIMARRON RIVER. 

The Cimarron River rises in the Raton Mountains in New Mexico 
and flows eastward along the Kansas-Oklahoma State line, which 
it crosses and recrosses. In the area covered by this examination it 
lies almost wholly in Kansas. The larger portion of its run-off is 
derived from its upper drainage area, the small rainfall on the por¬ 
tion in western Kansas yielding but little supply. The total drain¬ 
age area above Arkalon, Kans., is 5,200 square miles. Only two 
short-time discharge records are available for the Cimarron River. 
One of these is for the station at Garrett, Okla., from May, 1905, to 
August, 1907; the other represents the station records at Arkalon 
from May, 1895, to October, 1896. The results of these measure¬ 
ments are given in the accompanying tables. 


30 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA 


Monthly discharge of Cimarron River near Garrett , Okla.,for 1905-1907 . 1 


Month. 

Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

acre-feet. 

Mnv 7 to 21 _ 

1905. 

3.380 

25 

307 

15,200 


2,700 

159 

14 

144.6 

8,570 

July. 

5 

24.5 

1,510 

August . 

1,220 

6 

142 

8, 730 

September. 

810 

5 

88.1 

5,240 

October . 

14 

7 

10.4 

640 

November... 

68 

14 

19.7 

1,170 

December __ 

19 

8 

15. 4 

947 







The period 





42,000 






Ja.mia.rv_ 

1906. 

24 

12 

17.4 

1,070 

February. 

16 

7.5 

10.9 

605 

March.. . 

9 

2.5 

5 

307 

April. 

344 

1.5 

16 

952 

May... 

595 

1.5 

23.7 

1,460 

June. 

2,210 

2.5 

191 

11,400 

July. 

656 

16 

113 

6.950 

August. 

1.460 

7.5 

85.7 

5,270 

September. 

2,030 

68 

9 

226 

13,400 

October . .. . 

19 

25.6 

1,570 

November. 

68 

19 

26.4 

1.570 

December.. 

24 

19 

20.9 

1.290 




The year. 


2,210 

1. 5 

63. 5 

45,800 



Ja.mia.rv_ 

1907. 

24 

19 

22.9 

1,410 

1.030 

February.:. 

19 

12 

18.5 

March... 

14 

.5 

4.15 

255 

April. 

105 

.5 

3.30 

196 

May. 

353 

2.5 

21.3 

1,310 

738 

June. 

68 

4.8 

12.4 

July. 

1,100 

7. 5 

120 

7,380 

3,120 

Aiienst. 1 to 11 _ 

595 

19 

143 



The neriod 





15,400 






1 U. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Papers 209, p. 38; 247, p. 63. 


Estimated monthly di charge of Cimarron River at Arkalon, Kans. 1 (9,200 square 

miles drainage area). 


Month. 

Discharge in second-feet. 

Total in 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

acre-feet 

1895. 

May 14 to 31. 

22 

18 

IS 

648 

June. 

170 

19 

47 

2,797 

July. 

659 

14 

149 

9,162 

August. 

170 

16 

30 

1.845 

September. 

19 

16 

17 

1.012 

October. 

18 

16 

17 

1.045 

November. 

18 

17 

17 

1,012 

December. 

18 

17 

17 

1,045 

1896. 

January. 

18 

17 

18 

1,107 

February. 

18 

18 

18 

1,035 

March. 

18 

18 

18 

1,107 

April. 

52 

17 

20 

1,190 

May. 

18 

17 

18 

1.107 

June. 

18 

16 

17 

1,012 

July. 

23 

16 

17 

1.045 

August. 

17 

16 

17 

1,045 

September. 

16 

16 

16 

952 

October. 

18 

16 

17 

1,045 


1 U. S. Geol. Survey Ann. Rpt., 18 (1897), pt. 4, p. 244. 






























































































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 31 

A comparison of the rainfall at Kenton, Okla., and Folsom, N. Mex., 
for the period of the stream record at Garrett indicates that the rain¬ 
fall on the drainage area during this period was probably 20 per cent 
in excess of the mean precipitation. The annual run-off during the 
time of record was 42,300 acre-feet, which, on the basis of the com¬ 
parative precipitation, indicates a probable mean annual run-off of 
about 35,000 acre-feet. As the run-off depends almost directly upon 
the heavier rains, it will vary as much as the rainfall and will be 
subject to the same wide fluctuations. 

In 1895 and 1896, during the time that records of the discharge at 
Arkalon were maintained, the available rainfall records indicate that 
the year 1895 was about normal and that 1896 was almost a minimum 
year. By using the record July, 1895, to June, 1896, a total run-off 
of 22,724 acre-feet is given, which indicates that a mean annual 
run-off of 25,000 acre-feet is to be expected. 

In its upper course the Cimarron River is subject to floods of very 
sudden rise and great intensity, which, however, subside quickly. 
In western Kansas the stream channel becomes wider and is sand 
choked. At some points the stream is perennial, while at others the 
normal flow sinks into the sands and only the torrential floods pass 
over the stream bed without being absorbed. Below Arkalon the 
flow of the river is usually perennial. But one reservoir site on the 
Cimarron was found in Kansas, this being described on page 36. At 
other points the valley is too wide, and sandy bottoms and lack of 
suitable building material are also unfavorable features of the locality. 

In a report on the reconnoissance by the United States Reclama¬ 
tion Service on the Cimarron River the following statement is made: 1 

In southwestern Kansas and adjacent portions of southeastern Colorado suitable 
reservoir sites have not been found, and it is doubtful whether a more detailed exami¬ 
nation is desirable. The Cimarron in Kansas flows over a sandy bed and has low banks 
with broad bottom lands on one or both sides; thus the opportunities for the con¬ 
struction of an economical dam are not offered. 

In western Oklahoma quite thorough examinations for reservoir 
possibilities along the Cimarron were also made by the United States 
Reclamation Service without finding any sites where construction 
could be recommended. The sites at Garrett and at Kenton were 
considered the most favorable. With a dam 80 feet high and 1,800 
feet long, a storage capacity of 58,200 acre-feet could be obtained at 
the Garrett site. Sixty miles of canal would be required to reach 
30,000 acres, making the cost, including storage, too high for serious 
consideration. 2 

At the Kenton site a dam 60 feet high would have a storage 
capacity of 32,130 acre-feet. The drainage area above this site is 
850 square miles, and the run-off is somewhat less than that shown 
by the records at Garrett. 

A canal from the reservoir to irrigate land would be 30 miles in length, as the 
valley is narrow and contains only narrow strips on each side of the river. The 
cost per acre-foot of storage, not including the 30 miles of canal, would be $52.90. 3 

While the topographic conditions at the site of the forks in Grant 
County, Ivans., are favorable, much uncertainty attaches to some of 


1 Ann. Rpt. U. S. Reclamat ion Service, 2 (1903), p. 331. 

2 Ann. Rpt. U. S. Reclamation Service, 4 (1905), p. 300. 

3 Ann. Rpt. U. S. Reclamation Service, 3 (1904), p. 452. 



32 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


the construction features, which are discussed in the description of 
this project (p. 37). 

A project now dormant has been investigated by the Reclamation 
Service which involves the recovery of ground water from the stream 
bed for use as an additional supply for the present canals near Engle¬ 
wood, Ivans., the main body of land lying in Oklahoma. This also 
is east of the area covered in this investigation. 

BEAVER CREEK, OKLA. 

Beaver Creek, which unites with Wolf Creek in Harper County, 
Okla., to form the North Fork of Canadian River, traverses Cimarron, 
Texas, and Beaver Counties, which form the “strip ” of western 
Oklahoma. Cimarron and Texas Counties are the only ones which 
were included in this investigation. Beaver Creek rises near Folsom, 
N. Mex., and receives much of its run-off from the upper portion of 
its drainage area. Throughout western Oklahoma the stream chan¬ 
nel is wide and from 100 to 200 feet below the level of the plains 
and presents no good opportunities for storage. No run-off records 
are available, although gauge readings were maintained from March, 
1904, to December 31, 1905, at Beaver, Okla., which show continuous 
flow. Records of the discharge of the North Fork of Canadian River 
near El Reno, which include the discharge of Beaver Creek, are shown 
in the accompanying table. The drainage area of Beaver Creek 
above the area covered in this inquiry is but a small part of the 
total at El Reno. 

Mean monthly discharge of North Fork of Canadian River near El Reno, Okla., October, 

1902, to April, 1908 . 1 


January.... 
February.. 
March..”... 

April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 

August. 

September. 
October.... 
November. 
December.. 

Mean 


Month. 


Discharge in second-feet. 


Total in 


Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Mean. 

acre-feet. 2 

795 

20 

205 

12.600 

795 

31 

222 

12,400 

1.050 

31 

282 

17,300 

720 

20 

260 

15,500 

3,510 

55 

544 

33,500 

3,480 

34 

432 

25,700 

4,000 

20 

516 

31,600 

2,530 

7 

299 

18,400 

1,030 


131 

7,790 

1,250 


155 

9,550 

870 

1 

132 

7,860 

1,400 

1 

214 

13,100 

4.000 


283 

205,300 


1 U. S. Geol. Survey, Water-Supply Papers 131, 173, 209, and 247. 

2 Computed from mean discharge. 


A thorough reconnoissance for reservoirs was made on this stream 
without success by the United States Reclamation Service. No fur¬ 
ther search for sites was made in the present investigation as the 
reconnoissances of the Reclamation Service are much more extensive 
and detailed than any that could be made within the time and funds 
available. 


































S. Doc. 1021, 62-3. 


PLATE II. 



Profile at Dam 5ite 


RESERVOIR SITE on BEAVER CREEK- RAWLINS COUNTY-KANSAS 


icoo' ' i&ocf 2000' 

SCAL>E 


-2|A- 


n 


i 

" T 
I II 

14 l3*25* 





























































































































































































































* 


- 



























































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


33 


The following quotation applies particularly to Beaver Creek: 1 

Generally speaking, in western Oklahoma, so far as known, there are no good oppor¬ 
tunities for the storage of flood waters, natural dam sites being lacking. In addition, 
the water supply, with few exceptions, is unreliable. The great majority of the 
streams which it is proposed to utilize are dry during four or five months of the year 
and their freshets are exceedingly variable, both as regards the amount of water they 
discharge and the frequency with which they occur. 

Reservoir Sites Surveyed. 

RESERVOIR SITE ON BEAVER CREEK, RAWLINS COUNTY, KANS. 

A survey was made of a reservoir site on Beaver Creek in the north¬ 
western part of Kansas. The area covered by the proposed reservoir 
lies in sections 19, 20, 29, and 30, township 5 south, range 36 west, 
and sections 24 and 25, township 5 south, range 37 west, sixth principal 
meridian, in southwestern Rawlins County and a small part being 
included in southeastern Cheyenne County. 

Beaver Creek rises in the eastern part of Colorado, flows north¬ 
easterly through Kansas, and discharges into the Republican River 
in Nebraska, having a total length of about 180 miles. The flow of 
the main creek is augmented by waters of the Middle Fork, the two 
branches having their confluence near Atwood, 34 miles below the 
proposed reservoir site. The valley lands of Beaver Creek vary from 
three-fourths of a mile to 2 or 3 miles in width and at the proposed 
dam site are 175 to 200 feet below the surrounding mesas (PI. I, fig. 2). 
The drainage area of Beaver Creek consists of rolling mesas dissected 
by small ravines and, except along the creek bottoms, is treeless. 
The natural vegetation consists of buffalo grass, with some gramma 
grass and bluestem, forming a smooth, hard surface cover. The aver¬ 
age slope of the drainage area in Kansas is about 20 feet per mile, 
which becomes a little steeper as the upper part of the drainage 
basin is approached in Colorado. No records of the flow of Beaver 
Creek are available, and, owing to the difference in character of the 
drainage areas, a comparison of the run-off can not be made with 
that of the Republican River in this vicinity or with other streams 
having similar conditions where records might be available. The 
creek generally flows from October to May and during the summer 
months may carry the run-off from heavy local rains. Any deter¬ 
mination of the run-off of Beaver Creek is difficult to make since the 
percentage of the rainfall reaching the stream is hard to determine, 
and the extent of the drainage basin is estimated. A dam having 
the water line at the 30-foot contour would give a reservoir capacity 
of 10,115 acre-feet and one with the water line at the 35-foot con¬ 
tour would give a capacity of 14,685 acre-feet. A map of the res¬ 
ervoir site and a plan and profile of the dam site are shown in Plate II. 
If the stream proved sufficient for storing 10,000 acre-feet, no diffi¬ 
culties would be encountered in raising the dam so as to provide for 
storing larger amounts. 

Estimates were made on an earth dam having a top width of 20 
feet and side slopes of 2^ to 1 on the upstream side and 2 to 1 on the 
downstream side. The elevation of the crest of the dam is taken at 


i Ann. Rpt. IT. S. Reclamation Service, 3 (1904), p. 462. 

74505°—S. Doc. 1021, 62-3-3 





34 IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 

the 34-foot contour, which provides 4 feet above the crest of the 
spillway. The length of the dam on top would be 1,525 feet and the 
total contents would be 124,500 cubic yards of earth. The capacity 
of the reservoir at various heights of dam is shown in the following 
table: 

Capacity of Beaver Creek. Reservoir site. 


Contour. 

Area. 

Capacity 
of section. 

Total 

capacity. 

Feet. 

0 

Acres. 

7.3 

A cre-feet. 

Acre-feet. 

5 

42.6 

125 

125 

10 

174.5 

543 

668 

15 

296.0 

1,176 

1,844 

20 

459.0 

1,889 

3,733 

25 

632.1 

2,729 

6,462 

30 

829.0 

3,653 

10,115 

35 

999.1 

4,570 

14,685 


Another dam site a short distance upstream was surveyed. Esti¬ 
mates were made on this for the same height and side slopes, and 
while the yardage was slightly less the lower dam has the advantage 
of a greater reservoir capacity and receives the run-off from an addi¬ 
tional small ravine. The greater part of the dam would rest on firm 
flat-bottom land now planted in alfalfa and should be suitable for the 
foundation of an earth dam when properly prepared. It was not 
possible to make any examination of the subsoil conditions with the 
time and means available for this investigation, but it is not probable 
any serious difficulties would be encountered in the construction. 
The soils on the land that would be submerged are classified by the 
Bureau of Soils, 1 as in the Lincoln series, the various t}^pes of which 
are undifferentiated but which in this section are generally heavy, 
alluvial silt, with but little sand in mixture and free from sand in 
the subsoil. For this reason there should be little seepage from this 
reservoir. 

The north end of the dam would rest on a large hill on the other 
side of which a natural wasteway was formed by a saddle in the hills. 
It is not probable that the wasteway will be used to discharge any 
large amounts of water, although provision should be made for wast¬ 
ing flood flows for a short tune. It should be safe to leave this nat¬ 
ural wasteway in its original condition until it becomes evident that 
protective measures are needed, as the even slopes of buffalo sod 
will resist erosion for some tune. Any flow wasting through the 
saddle will spread out over about 100 feet in width, and as at present 
there is no eroded channel on the lower side, there is little probability 
that any floods will come close enough together or be of sufficient 
duration to do great damage but that ample time in which to make 
any repairs to prevent cutting back into the reservoir will be avail¬ 
able. The slope of the ground below the wasteway is such that any 
overflow will be carried into the creek about one-fourth mile below 
the dam. The south end of the dam would abut on a nearly vertical 
earth bluff which forms the valley wall at this point. 


i Reconnoissance Soil Survey of Western Kansas, U. S.Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils, Advance Sheets—Field 
Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1910, p. 83 











IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


35 


These hills on either side would afford plenty of good material 
within easy hauling distance for building the dam. The construction 
of this dam would include stripping the surface for the base of the 
dam and the excavation of a cut-off trench to be refilled with selected 
material. Two cast-iron gates should be provided. It would be neces¬ 
sary to provide a paving or riprap on the upstream side. Outcrop¬ 
pings of rock were observed near the dam site and this rock might 
be used in the construction. A reservoir having the water line at the 
30-foot contour would flood 829 acres, much of which is improved 
alfalfa land and valued at about $40 an acre, and in condemnation 
its cost might exceed this amount. 

To reach the lands desired to be irrigated, which lie south and east 
of Atwood, would require a canal about 25 miles in length, which 
would follow along the valley bluff for some distance before reaching 
the mesa land. The irrigable lands have a uniform slope to the north¬ 
east of about 10 feet per mile. The soils in this section are classified 
by the Bureau of Soils as Colby silt loam, underlying the top of which 
is a clay subsoil. The land is now farmed principally in grain and is 
valued at about $20 an acre. Alfalfa would prove a valuable crop if 
water were obtained and should yield 4 or 5 tons per acre per season. 
The yield of milo maize, Kafir corn, and all crops would be increased 
with the use of water. The land would require but little preparation 
for irrigation, and after the sod is broken it is easy to cultivate. 

On the basis of a duty of 2 acre-feet per acre measured in the 
reservoir sufficient water could be stored for the irrigation of about 
5,000 acres of land. The cost per acre-foot of storage capacity is 
estimated at about $10. 

Time and funds allotted to this inquiry did not permit a survey of 
the proposed canal line from the dam site to the irrigable lands, but 
it is estimated that the construction of the canal system would make 
the total cost of bringing water to the land in the neighborhood of $35 
an acre. This, together with the initial cost of the land at $20 an 
acre, would mean an outlay of $55 an acre. 

This project has been surveyed by private parties who spent con¬ 
siderable time and money in looking for a storage site, and it is 
probably as favorable a location as exists in the northwestern part 
of the State. 

RESERVOIR SITE AT THE FORKS OF CIMARRON RIVER, GRANT COUNTT, 

KANS. 

The largest site surveyed in this reconnoissance is situated on the 
Cimarron River, in the southeastern part of Grant County, about 
35 miles northeast of Liberal, where a dam 30 feet high would cover 
2,200 acres and store 23,800 acre-feet. The agricultural development 
of the lands in the vicinity of this reservoir has been retarded by the 
lack of adequate railroad" facilities. This has been remedied by the 
construction of the Colmer cut-off of the Santa Fe Railroad, which 
passes within 2 miles of the dam site. The more drought-resistant 
forage crops and broom corn are now the ones principally grown, the 
total area cultivated being but a small proportion of the total agri¬ 
cultural land. No gauging station has been maintained at this point 
on the Cimarron, and owing to the peculiarities of this stream it is 
difficult to estimate the discharge at one point by comparison with 


36 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


the discharges at others. As shown in the general discussion ol water 
supply (see p. 31), the mean annual run-off at Garrett, Okla., 100 
miles above this reservoir site, is probably about 35,000 acre-feet per 
year. The Cimarron at Garrett is practically perennial in its flow, 
the larger part of the discharge, however, occurring as floods. The 
mean annual discharge at Arkalon, Kans., about 25 miles below the 
site, as indicated by a record of 16 months in 1895-96, is probably 
about 25,000 acre-feet, of which about one-half consists of a quite 
uniform perennial flow and one-half of flood discharges. At the 
reservoir site the discharge consists entirely of flood flow (Pi. Ill, fig. 1), 
the floods winch in the upper portion of the river are quick rising and 
short, becoming less violent and more extended as they travel down 
the river. A few miles above the forks there is usually some water 
flowing in the main Cimarron River, and also below the site directly 
north from Liberal some water flows at all times of the year. As this 
perennial flow apparently passes the proposed dam site in some of the 
underlying strata, only the flood flows are available for storage. No 
investigations have been made to determine the proportion of the 
discharge at Garrett which reaches the forks. It is not probable that 
more than 20,000 of the 35,000 acre-feet estimated mean annual 
discharge at Garrett would be delivered into the reservoir by the main 
Cimarron. There is no perennial flow in the north fork of the Cimar¬ 
ron, such run-off as occurs resulting from the heavier local rains. 
Similarly, the portion of the drainage area on the main river between 
Garrett and the forks is but slightly productive of run-off. 

It is the popular and local opinion that the discharge of the Cimar¬ 
ron River is much larger than that shown by the previously mentioned 
actual measurements. Records available at present cover too short 
a period to be conclusive as to the available water supply, and future 
investigations might show a somewhat larger dependable run-off. 
However, on the basis of all present knowledge, the construction of a 
reservoir having a capacity larger than the 23,800 acre-feet surveyed 
could not be recommended. Should later studies show a larger 
amount of water to be available, it would be feasible to increase the 
capacity to any desired size. 

Capacity of Cimarron Reservoir site. 


Contour. 

Area. 

Capacity 
of section. 

Total 

capacity. 

Feet 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

Acres. 

126.9 

207.9 
610.7 

1,133.2 

1,681.6 

2.208.5 

2.538.6 

Acre-fed. 

Acre-feet. 

587 

2,046 
4,360 
7,037 
9,725 
11,868 

5S7 
2,633 
6,993 
14,030 
23,755 
35,623 


The accompanying map (PI. IV) shows the topography of this res¬ 
ervoir site. The main Cimarron turns northward for about a mile 
in its course to meet the north fork. On the south side of the main 
valley the bordering lulls also extend northward toward the junction 
of the two branches, thus narrowing the general Cimarron Valley 
from an average width of 1 mile to about one-fourth of this distance 
and making the dam site for this reservoir. These hills are quite 















S. Doc. 1021,62-3. 


PLATE III. 



FIG. 1.—CHANNEL OF CIMARRON RIVER AT FORKS, GRANT 

COUNTY, KANS. 



FIG. 2.—DAM SITE ON CLEVELAND RUN, NEAR ST. FRANCIS, KANS. 

(Note rough erosion of sides.) 











Doc. 1021, 62-3. 


(/) 


> 

OJ 

H 

< 

_i 

Q. 



Profile af Dam S'le 


Approximate A'orth 



RESERVOIR SITE on CIMARRON RIVER.T.30S.R.35W. cp G RM. GRANT COUNTY'KANSAS 



















































































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 37 

rolling topographically, and have a typical sand-blown appearance. 
The main body of the dam would have a length of 1,700 feet; there 
would also be a continuation having a height of 5 to 10 feet extending 
2,000 feet along the crest of the lower sand bills. With a top width 
of 20 feet and slopes of 2J to 1 on the inner side and 2 to 1 on the 
outer side, 143,000 cubic yards of earth fill would be required. This 
could be obtained from the higher areas at either end or from the 
inside of the dam. The hills at the north end would give the better 
character of material, the general soils being classified in a bulletin 
of the Bureau of Soils, United States Department of Agriculture, 1 
as a sand and sandy loam. 

Owing to the limited funds and short time available, no examina¬ 
tion of subsurface conditions could be made. The river has cut and 
maintains a very regular canal-shaped channel, which for the first one- 
half mile below the forks has a grade of 54 feet per mile and a cross 
section of 25 to 30 feet in width and 6 to S feet in depth, the sides slop¬ 
ing about one-third to one. The silt deposited by the overflow has 
raised the banks of the stream slightly above the general level of the 
bottoms. The profile of the dam site shown with the map of the site 
(PL II) is a typical cross section of the bottom lands. The extent to 
which piling or other means of preventing seepage under the dam 
would be required can be determined only from careful examination 
and exploration. The sinking of the low flow a few miles above the 
dam site and its reappearance below make a thorough examination 
of this feature necessary before any definite plans can be made for the 
construction of storage here. In making the approximate estimate 
of cost sheet piling 25 feet deep for 2,000 feet in length was assumed 
to be necessary. 

A spillway can be constructed near the south end of the dam, which 
will discharge into the river sufficiently far below the dam site. Pro¬ 
tection, preferably a concrete paving, to prevent the overflow from 
washing the slopes of the sand hills would be required. For the 
outlet two concrete tubes 36 inches in diameter, with standard type 
of cast-iron gates, were used as a basis of estimate. A 4-inch con¬ 
crete paving on the upper side was also included. The above- 
mentioned items, together with allowances for the purchase of the 
2,200 acres to be flooded at $10 per acre, engineering at 10 per cent, 
and interest during construction and development for two years at 
6 per cent, and other minor items, give a total estimated cost of 
$147,000, or $6.30 per acre-foot of capacity. 

One and one-lialf acre-feet of water should be delivered at the farm, 
which would require the storage of 24 acre-feet in the reservoir, or 
the site as surveyed for a capacity of 23,800 acre-feet could supply 
9,520 acres. This would give an estimated cost for storage only of 
$15.75 per acre. 

No surveys for canal lines were made, and the length of ditch which 
would be required is unknown. Probably 20 to 30 miles would com¬ 
mand all the upland for which a water supply is available. While no 
actual estimate of the cost of the main canal system can be made 
without some field examination, it is to be expected that it would be 
at least $10 to $20 per acre, which would give a total estimated con¬ 
struction cost of about $25 to $35 per acre. The lands to be served 
have a present value for dry farming of about $10 per acre. 


1 Reconnoissance Soil Survey of Western Kansas. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils, Advance Sheets—Field 
Operations of the Bureau oJ Soils, 1910, p. 49. 




38 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


Without further knowledge of the water supply and of subsurface 
conditions at the reservoir and surveys for canal location, no definite 
conclusions can be drawn as to the feasibility of this project. Suffi¬ 
cient investigation has been made, however, to indicate the general 
conditions which must govern in any developments of the water sup¬ 
ply of the Cimarron River. While the full course of the Cimarron 
was not visited in this reconnoissance, this site is considered by those 
locally in a position to judge to be the most favorable of any along 
the river, at least in Kansas. While the estimated cost, as indicated 
from the work during the past season, is not excessive, the general 
uncertainty regarding some of the important features of this project 
render doubtful any profits that might be expected from its construc¬ 
tion. It would not be practicable to plan a development for more than 
10,000 acres, and in some years the supply might be insufficient for 
this acreage. 

SMALL RESERVOIR SITE ON CLEVELAND RUN NEAR ST. FRANCIS. 

This small reservoir site, which is typical of the smoother and more 
rounded topography of many small creeks and washes, particularly 
in the northern portion of western Kansas, is situated about 8 miles 
from St. Francis on the north side of the South Fork of Republican 
River. The topography of the site is shown by the accompanying 
map (fig. 7). With a dam 20 feet high, storing a maximum depth of 
water of 17 feet, and having a length of 500 feet, a total capacity of 
128 acre-feet could be secured, as shown on the accompanying table. 

Capacity of reservoir site. 


Contour. 

Area. 

Capacity of 
section. 

Total 

capacity. 

Feet. 

Acres. 

A cr e-feet. 

A cre-feet. 

2 

0.33 

0.33 

0.33 

4 

1.04 

1.37 

1.70 

6 

2.16 

3.20 

4. 90 

8 

4.65 

6.81 

11.71 

10 

7.01 

11.66 

23.37 

12 

9.77 

16. 78 

40.15 

14 

12. 40 

22.17 

62.32 

16 

16. 77 

29.17 

91.49 

18 

19. 66 

36.43 

127.92 


As in the case of other such sites whose drainage extends to the 
broad and flat uplands, the tributary area is indefinite in extent. 
While approximately 5 or 6 square miles, it is not closely determinable 
from any available maps. The discharge is torrential following the 
heavier rains. According to the opinion of those familiar with the 
stream, there is an average of about one flood flow per year—in some 
years none occurs, while in others there may be two or more. There 
is a well-eroded creek channel (PI. Ill, fig. 1), the run-off at times 
being sufficient to overflow the flat bottoms. There are springs on 
the upper portion of the creek which are used for stock and domestic 
purposes, but they were producing but little flow at the reservoir site 
at the time of the survey. It is probable that in many years the 
local run-off would be sufficient to fill the reservoir, but in others the 
supply would be unreliable. This particular site has an advantage 
over others of which it was taken as an example in that a water supply 










IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


39 


can be obtained from a ditch diverting water from the South Fork of 
Republican River, about 8 miles above. 

Sufficient irrigable land is available immediately below the site to 
fully utilize all water stored. As this land is also a part of the valley 



of the South Fork of Republican River, where the underground water 
lies largely within reach of the deeper plant roots, a higher duty may 
be feasible than in the average location. A general duty of lb acre- 







































40 IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 

/ 

feet per acre delivered at the land may be assumed. For such storage 
as will be constructed in units of this size the losses in canal trans¬ 
mission may be neglected as the ditch required will be of but little 
length. This duty would allow the reservoir to serve 85. acres. 
Wliere conditions permit, alfalfa is the preferred crop in this vicinity, 
usually yielding three crops per season. The lands at present in 
alfalfa are usually a part of a larger general ranch, making it hard to 
determine their separate value, although some of the best are held 
for nearly $100 per acre. 

The conditions for construction are quite favorable. Except close 
to the creek channel the foundation of the dam would be on firm 
material, which would require only the removal of the organic matter 
and plowing of the surface to secure a good bond. At the creek but 
little extra material would need to be removed to uncover good 
earth. The usual soil is of good depth and the surface appearances 
do not indicate that any difficulties from seepage are to be expected. 
A carefully filled cut-off trench 3 feet deep should provide lor this 
feature. The soil is that classified by the Soil Survey as a canyon 
loam, being intermediate between the sandy soils of the bottom lands 
and the silt loams of the uplands, and should therefore be suitable 
for making a tight embankment when properly put in place. Earth 
can be obtained from either end of the dam or from the inside of the 
site. A good location for a spillway is lacking, but one could be con¬ 
structed around the north end of the dam with a maximum cut of 
about 7 feet. If the material from this cut is used as part of the fill 
for the dam the additional expense for the spillway would be small. 
No rock or gravel for slope paving was found in the vicinity, but sand 
can be obtained within a distance of 1 mile from the bed of the South 
Fork of Republican River. The cost of a concrete paving in a reser¬ 
voir of this size would be excessive and some of the cheaper tem¬ 
porary forms of protection, such as brush or straw, may be more 
economically used. In using this cheaper material the wetted slope 
should be made 3 to 1. 

A dam having side slopes of 21 to 1 on the upper side and 2 to 1 on 
the lower, with a top width of 10 feet, would require 9,980 cubic 
yards of material and would have 1,800 square yards of surface on its 
upper side. Without paving, this dam has been estimated to cost 
about $2,400, or $18.80 per acre-foot of capacity. This cost would 
include the purchase of 20 acres of land to be flooded, a 12-inch outlet 
pipe and gate, and the spillway. Owing to the peculiar conditions 
of this particular site, it might be filled more than once each season 
by using the ditch from the South Fork of Republican River, thus 
reducing the cost per acre-foot of water available annually. Con¬ 
sidered, however, as a typical site on a small stream depending en¬ 
tirely on local run-off, the utilization of this site would not be feasible. 

SMALL RESERVOIR SITE IN SECTION 19, TOWNSHIP 2 SOUTH, RANGE 

39 WEST, SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN. ‘ 

This small site, which is representative of the steeper and more 
roughly eroded small washes which are common in this portion of 
the State, is located about 9 miles north of St. Francis and about 1 
mile from the site on Cleveland Run just described. While no rock 
outcrops, the sides of the site are steep and rough, as shown in the 
accompanying map (fig. 8). The fall of the draw on the reservoir 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


41 


averages 2 per cent, or 100 feet per mile. With a dam 25 feet high, 
storing a maximum depth of water of 22 feet, and having a length of 
500 feet, a total capacity of 82 acre-feet can be obtained. 


Capacity oj reservoir site in northwest section 19, township 2 south, range 39 west, sixth 

principal meridian. 


Contour. 

Area. 

Capacity 
of section. 

i 

Total 

capacity. 

Feet. 

2 

Acres. 

0.60 

Acre-feet. 

Acre-feet. 

4 

.36 

■ 0.42 

0. 42 

6 

.58 

.94 

1.36 

8 

1.30 

1.88 

3.24 

10 

2.17 

3. 47 

6.71 

12 

2.83 

5.00 

11.71 

14 

3.68 

6. 51 

18.22 

16 

4.62 

8. 30 

26. 52 

18 

5.62 

10. 24 

36. 76 

20 

6. 67 

12. 29 

49.05 

22 

8. 34 

15.01 

64. 06 

24 

10.06 

18.40 

82.46 



Fig. 8.—Reservoir site in northwest quarter, section 19, township 2 south, range 39 west 6th P. M. 


























42 IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 

The drainage area tributary to the site consists ot 2 to 3 square 
miles of rolling slopes and flat uplands, the actual extent being indefi¬ 
nite. Torrential run-off follows heavyTocal rains. The floods, which 
last but a few hours, have not been of sufficient duration or size to 
erode any well-defined stream channel in the close sod of the bottom. 
The run-off available varies with the rainfall in the different years, 
and in some years of low precipitation may be insufficient to supply 
the capacity of the site. As in the case of the site on Cleveland Run, 
it would be possible to obtain water through the ditch at present 
constructed, which diverts water from the South Fork of the Repub¬ 
lican River near St. Francis. 

Sufficient irrigable land lies immediately below this site to fully 
utilize any water stored, and the short length of ditch required will 
reduce the losses in transmission to a minimum. On the basis of a 
duty of H acre-feet per acre, 55 acres could be supplied. The charac¬ 
ter of the land and its value are similar to that under the Cleveland 
Run site, previously described. 

The conditions for the construction of the dam are favorable. A 
dam with slopes of 2\ to 1 on the inner side and 2 to 1 on the outer 
side and a top width of 10 feet would require 13,900 cubic yards of 
material. This can be obtained with short hauls from either end or 
from the sides. While no examination of the subsurface conditions 
was made, the soils are usually uniform for considerable depth, and 
no difficulty from seepage is to be expected. It will be necessary to 
excavate a spillway around the north end of the dam. As the mate¬ 
rial can be used in the dam, the additional expense for the spillway 
will not be large. No rock or gravel for slope paving were found in 
the vicinity. Sand can be obtained from the bed of the South Fork 
of the Republican River within a distance of 1 mile. The cost of a 
concrete paving on the 2,125 square yards of the upper side of the 
dam would be excessive, and some of the cheaper though temporary 
substitutes might be more economical. Including the preparation 
of the dam foundation, the outlets, and the purchase of flood lands, 
the estimated cost without paving is $32.50 per acre-foot for the 82 
acre-foot capacity, or $48.75 per acre for the land which could be 
supplied on a duty of 1^ acre-feet per acre. Wliile the use of the 
present ditch might permit the reservoir in this particular case to be 
filled more than once during a season, and thus increase the acreage 
served and reduce the cost per acre, this would not be true generally 
of similar sites in this portion of western Kansas. While the slopes 
of such draws are higher in this vicinity, where the general topography 
is steeper and rougher, than in the more central and southern portions 
of western Kansas, this site is a good illustration of the difficulty of 
obtaining storage on the small, steeply-eroded draws which have not 
worn themselves deeply into the plains. As the dam sites which 
may be found in draws of this type are but little narrower than the 
reservoir sites behind them, the opportunities for obtaining storage 
where the slope of the creeks is as high as in this case are evidently 
limited. 

A dam 14 feet high, storing a maximum depth of 11 feet, could be 
constructed so as to utilize a natural spillway site at station 2 of the 
dam shown on the map. This would give a capacity of only 15 acre- 
feet and, with a construction similar to that described for the larger 
one, would require a fall of 3,250 cubic yards and have an estimated 
cost, including flooded lands, etc., of $800 per acre-foot, which is too 
high for practical construction at present. 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 43 

SMALL RESERVOIR NEAR THE MOUTH OF LADDER CREEK, LOGAN 

COUNTY, KANS. 

This small reservoir site, which is typical of those on the moderate¬ 
sized creeks in the central part of western Kansas, is situated about 



Fig. 9.—Ladder, or Beaver Creek, reservoir site, Logan County, Kans. 

25 miles north of Scott City and about one-fourth mile above the junc¬ 
tion of Ladder Creek with Smoky Hill River. The topography of 
the site is shown in figure 9. With a dam 15 feet high, storing a maxi- 
















44 IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 

mum depth of water of 12 feet and having a length of 060 feet, a total 
capacity of 140 acre-feet could be secured. 


Capacity of Ladder Creek reservoir site. 


Contour. 

Area. 

Capacity of 
section. 

Total 

capacity. 

Feet. 

2 

Acres. 

0.50 

Acre-feet. 

Acre-feet. 

4 

2.50 

3.00 

3.00 

6 

7.60 

10.10 

13.10 

8 

16.80 

24.40 

37.50 

10 

25.60 

42. 40 

79.90 

12 

35.90 

61.50 

141.40 


Ladder Creek, or Beaver Creek as it is called locally, rises in eastern 
Colorado. Like the other Kansas streams in this part of the State, 
the extent of its drainage area is indefinite, but is piobably between 
1,200 and 1,500 square miles. Much of this area is practically non- 
pi oductive, consisting of depressions or 11 lagoons” which collect any 
run-off there may be in their vicinity, and of broad sod-covered flats 
which retain practically all of the precipitation except in the larger 
storms. There are evidences of floods which have left the creek banks 
at the reservoir site. No estimate of their size can be made, however, 
with any degree of accuracy. While, owing to the length of the 
drainage area, flood waters from the upper portions would be less sharp 
and more extended by the time the reservoir site was reached, ample 
spillway facilities should be provided, as the capacity of the reservoir 
is small in proportion to the total discharge. 

Ladder Creek is one of the few western Kansas streams which has 
a perennial flow. This flow is supplied by springs which are at present 
used to some extent for irrigation. At the time of this survey the 
creek was flowing about 3 second-feet at the dam site, and those 
familiar with the stream state that this flow is maintained throughout 
the year. No storage development is needed until this normal flow is 
fully utilized. Whenever deshed the water supply not usable directly 
will be ample for filling the reservoir as surveyed. 

The full utilization of this stream would require the carrying of 
some of the supply across to the north side of the Smoky Hill River. 
There are about 100 acres in the bottoms on the south side imme¬ 
diately below the site. Beyond this the bluffs approach the river for 
some distance. The lands lying on the north side could be reached 
by a flume or siphon or by allowing the water to continue to flow into 
the Smoky Hill River and diverting it directly, although the latter 
method might involve some loss in the sandy bed of the river. There 
is more than sufficient bottom land on the north side to utilize the 
available water supply. The bottom soils are sandier than those 
generally found in this portion of the State and a duty of 2^ acre-feet 
of stored water should be allowed to cover transmission losses and 
crop requirements. On this basis 56 acres could be supplied from 
this reservoir. Owing to the distance (25 miles) from a railroad, land 
values are not high. Much of the uplands are now used for grazing 
and the irrigated land could be used to advantage for the raising of 











IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 45 

> l 

winter feed. Some land is now cultivated—Kafir coin, milo maize, 
and sorghum being laised. 

A more careful preparation of the dam foundation should be made 
here than in the other two small sites surveyed, owing to the more 
open and sandy character of the soils. More compact material can 
be obtained from the hill at the south end of the dam site and the 
use of this for part of the embankment throughout its full length 
is recommended. A deeper cut-off trench is also included in the 
estimate. With a top width of 8 feet and slopes of 24 to 1 on the 
inner side and 2 to 1 on the outer side, 8,100 cubic yards of material 
would be required, the area of the upper side of the dam being 2,180 
square yards. There is a natural spillway site at the planned eleva¬ 
tion of high water near the north end of the dam. h^o cost for the 
protection of this is included in the estimate as while the soil is too 
sandy to resist much erosion, in case of serious cutting protective 
measures can be provided as needed. Including the purchase of 
36 acres of land to be flooded, and the preparation of the foundation 
and the construction of outlet, the estimated cost, without paving 
the upper side of the dam, is $3,000 or $21.50 per acre-foot for 140 
acre-feet capacity. Allowing a duty of acre-feet per acre, gives 
an estimated cost of $53.75 per acre. Owing to the large area of 
surface of the dam exposed to the water in proportion to the capacity, 
the cost of a concrete paving would be excessive. Some soft rock, 
is available near the dam site which might be used for this purpose. 

The local value of an irrigation water supply has been low in this 
vicinity as is shown by the fact that the dependable perennial flow 
of the creek is as yet but slightly utilized and the cost of this storage 
would be greater than its present value. This site can be taken, 
however, as typical topographically of such sites in this portion of 
the State, some of which might be found nearer to transportation 
facilities and markets so that the water supply would have a higher 
value. 

Utilization of Underground Waters by Pumping Near Garden 

City, Kans. 

The utilization of underground waters by pumping is an important 
factor in the irrigation development of western Kansas. The greatest 
development of this kind at the present time is in the Arkansas 
Valley in Finney and Kearny Counties. The accompanying map 
(fig. 10) shows the area irrigated by pumping from wells in the 
territory between Garden City and Lakin, a distance of 23 miles. 
Aside from 3,000 acres irrigated by the United States Sugar & Land 
Co. from its central power station described elsewhere in this report, 
there were 55 individual pumping plants operating in this area in 
1912, supplying water to 6,000 acres and capable of serving about 
8,500 acres. 

There are two general types of pumping plants in use, depending 
on whether water is pumped from shallow or deep wells. In the 
bottom or valley lands the depth to water ranges from 10 to 20 feet. 
Most of the shallow wells now bored are 16 inches in diameter and 


46 IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 

range from 35 to 50 feet in depth. It has been found that from 
250 to 400 gallons per minute can generally be obtained from one 
well. Where a larger flow is desired a group of wells is sunk and a 
centrifugal pump is connected to the wells by means of suction pipe 
graduated to decrease friction loss. 

The deep-well plants are found on the uplands or plains and have 
been installed within the past two years. The success that has 
been attained in these plants has caused widespread interest through¬ 
out the western part of Kansas. Ihe wells on the uplands are from 
300 to 400 feet in depth, depending upon the soil formation and water 
strata encountered. The wells proper are 24 inches in diameter to 



Fig. 10— Area irrigated by pumping in portion of Arkansas Valley in western Kansas. 


a point where a turbine or multiple stage centrifugal pump is set, 
below which a smaller diameter of casing is used. For deep wells 
a No. 6 or 8 gauge steel casing is generally used and this is per¬ 
forated and wrapped with steel wire having a trapezoidal cross 
section. The average lift on the uplands is about 125 feet, and in 
some cases water is being raised over 150 feet. 

The internal-combustion engine of either the two or four cycle type 
usm to distillate or crude oil ior fuel is used almost exclusively for 
power. Distillate is now obtained at Garden City for 3 to 4 cents per 
gallon. This cheap fuel makes it possible to pump for higher lifts 
than would otherwise be practicable. 









































































































































IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


47 


The pumping plant which was installed in 1911 by this office under 
cooperative agreement with the Kansas Experiment Station, Garden 
City Commercial Club, and Finney County Commissioners on the 
experiment farm at Garden City is typical of the deep-well plants 
now being installed on the uplands in western Kansas, a complete 
description of which follows. (PI. V.) 

Equipment. 

Engine, 75 horsepower, 190 revolutions per minute, 8-inch pulley; fuel, oil; fuel 
consumption, full load, 1.15 pints per horsepower hour. 

Pump, No. 6, two-stage vertical centrifugal, 9f-inch discharge, 8pinch suction, 16- 
inch pulley; pump set 120 feet; 40 feet of suction pipe. 

Well, 24 inches diameter, 180 feet deep; 90 feet blank pit; 90 feet of wire-wound 
strainer. 

Belt, 14-inch double leather, 30 feet centers. 

Cost. 


Engine, set on foundation furnished by purchasers. $1,705.00 

Pump, complete, set. 764. 28 

Well: 

Drilling hole and setting pit and strainer.$1,136. 25 

90 feet of 24-inch strainer, at $10. 900. 00 

90 feet of 24-inch steel pipe, at $3.50. 315. 00 

Hauling.,. 39. 25 

Fuel. 157. 04 

Board of well company’s men. 113. 41 

Lumber, derrick. 72.07 

- 2,733.02 

Belt. 152.05 

House, complete. 446. 02 

Tank: 

Storage, 10,000 gallons, complete, set. 201. 75 

Wagon, 600 gallons, complete with frame. 48. 25 

Foundation. 82. 40 

Weir..,. 22. 60 

Labor, installing engine.. 48. 95 

Paint and painting derrick. 19. 80 


Total cost as finished, December 1, 1911. 6,224.12 


Performance. 

Quantity of water pumped per minute (average) 765 gallons with average lift of 
135 feet equals 1.7 cubic feet per second, or 1.41 acre-feet per 10 hours. 

Cost. 

Fuel, $0.0375 per gallon. Lubricating oil, $0.30 per gallon. Total cost of fuel and 
lubricating oil per acre-foot of water, $2.48. 

This plant, while in operation only one year, has given entire 
satisfaction, and there seems to be no diminution of the water supply. 
The log of this well shows 47 feet of loam soil and clay, 43 feet of 
gypsum and stone, and 90 feet of water-bearing sand and. gravel. 
The plant was used to irrigate 50 acres of experimental crops in 1912, 
consisting of alfalfa, sugar beets, sorghums, melons, etc. It is thought 
that with a careful use of water this plant should be capable of 
serving 160 acres of land. The cost of the deep-well plants varies 
almost directly with the total lift. With an average lift of 125 feet 
the cost for a complete plant with a capacity of 1,000 gallons per 






















48 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


minute is about $50 per foot of lift or $6,250. On the basis of a 
plant of this capacity serving 160 acres of land, the cost per acre 
is $39. The average cost of the plants pumping from the shallow 
wells in the bottom lands having a capacity of 2,000 gallons per 
minute is about $3,200 or $20 per acre on the basis of a plant serving 
160 acres. 

There are numerous smaller plants having a capacity of about 1,000 
gallons per minute. With these plants a small earth reservoir is 
provided as shown in Plate VI. This plant, belonging to George 
Vincent, of Garden City, consists of a 15-horsepower gasoline engine, 
belt connected to a No. 6 horizontal centrifugal pump having a 
capacity of 1,200 gallons per minute with a lift of 12 feet. Water 
is obtained from one 16-inch well 46 feet deep and discharged into 
an earth reservoir 75 feet square and 6 feet deep, giving a capacity 
of 0.77 acre-foot. The total cost of this plant was $1,000, and 40 
acres of alfalfa were irrigated in 1912. Accurate data on the duty 
of water in this section are not available, but it is the general opinion 
among irrigators that the average use of water on the bottom lands 
amounts to about 4 acre-feet per acre per season. The following 
table taken from a paper react before the Kansas irrigation con¬ 
vention at Garden City in 1912 by L. M. Williams presents some 
interesting figures as to the comparative cost of the shallow-well 
and deep-well type of plants in the vicinity of Garden City. The 
aggregate cost of irrigation is segregated into unit costs per acre-foot, 
and the figures are based on operating 150 days per year 12 hours 
per day. 


Table showing comparative cost of irrigation from shallow-well and deep-well types of 

pumping plants. 


• 

Shallow- 
w r ell type. 

Deep-well 
type. 

Capacity in gallons per minute. 

2,000 

1,000 

Average lift in feet. 

30 

125 

Average horsepower required. 

30 

75 

Number of men per day. 

1 

1 

Labor cost per day. 

82.00 

$2.00 
2.2 

Number of acre-feet pumped per day. 

4. 4 

Gallons of fuel consumed per day..... 

45 

112. 5 

Fuel cost per day at 3 cents per gallon. 

81.33 

$3.35 
2 7 

Lubricating oil used per day", galions. 

1 

Lubricating oil; cost per day at 30 cents per gallon. 

$0. 30 

$0. 80 

Estimated cost of plant.. 

$3.200. 00 

$6,250. 00 
$435. 50 
$500. 00 
$935. 50 

Interest on investrnent at 7 per cent. 

$224. 00 

Depreciation at 8 per cent..".. 

$256. 00 

Total annual cost of interest and depreciation. 

$480. 00 

Interest and depreciation, cost per operating dav. 

$3. 20 

$6.25 
$12. 40 
330 

Total cost of operating per davT_.".... 

$6. 85 

Total acre-feet"of water"pumped. 

660 

Cost per acre per season".....". 

$1. 56 

$5. 75 
$1. 90 

Fuel and lubricating oil, cost per acre-foot. 

$0. 375 

Labor cost per acre-foot. 

$0. 455 
$0.73 

$0. 91 
$2. 84 

Interest and depreciation, cost per acre-foot. 



Assuming a duty of 4 acre-feet per acre on the bottom lands and 
2 acre-feet per acre on the uplands, the total cost per acre per season 
on the figures presented would be $6.24 on the bottom lands and 
$11.50 on the uplands. 

A private company has several successful pumping plants in opera¬ 
tion, one plant consisting of a 150-horsepower engine burning crude 
oil connected to a multistage turbine pump, which irrigated 320 






























Doc.1021,62-3. PLATE V. 



PUMPING PLANT, IRRIGATION EXPERIMENT STATION, GARDEN CITY, KANS. 


















Doc. 1021, 62-3. PLATE VI. 



PUMPING PLANT WITH EARTH RESERVOIR, GARDEN CITY, KANS. 













.Doc.1021,62-3. PLATE VII. 



<S) 


WINDMILL AND SMALL CONCRETE RESERVOIR, SYRACUSE, KANS. 





.Doc.1021,62-3. PLATE VIII. 





WINDMILL AND EARTH RESERVOIR NEAR GARDEN CITY, KANS. 





IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


49 


acres of beets in 1912. The average yield was 15 tons per acre, which 
sold for $5.50 per ton at the sugar factory. While this yield is 
above the present average in the sugar-beet district, it should be 
generally attained with a careful use of water and proper methods of 
farming. The average cost of raising sugar beets is given by the 
company as $30 per acre, to which must be added the cost of irrigation, 
estimated at $11.50 per acre on the uplands. While pumping on 
the uplands is still in the experimental stage, with cheap fuel encour¬ 
agement is offered to the farmer of western Kansas where a gravity 
supply is not available. 

The company which owns and operates the beet-sugar factory 
at Garden City has a central power station at Deerfield for pumping 
water for irrigating sugar beets. Much of the water is used as a 
supplementary supply to that received from the company’s canals. 
A producer gas plant in which crude oil is used for fuel is oper¬ 
ated. The equipment consists of a double tandem 400-horsepower 
engine direct connected to a 250-kilowatt generator. There is 
also an auxiliary plant consisting of a 90-horsepower gas engine 
which may be used when repairs are being made to the other engine. 
Power is distributed to 14 pumping stations over 20 miles of trans¬ 
mission line. Each pumping station is equipped with a 30-horsepower 
electric motor, belt connected to a No. 8 horizontal centrifugal pump. 
At each station water is pumped from a group of 5 wells which are 
16 inches in diameter and average 40 feet in depth. The average 
depth to water is 13 feet and the average total pumping head is 28 
feet. During the season of 1911 this plant was operated 3,767 hours, 
at a total cost of $13,907.40. The water pumped amounted to 9,201 
acre-feet, which was applied to 3,060 acres of land, or 3 feet in depth 
over each acre. The cost per acre-foot of water pumped amounted to 
$1.51 and the cost per acre of land irrigated was $4.54, which does not 
include interest and depreciation. 

Use of Windmills in Irrigation. 

Where the cost of installing a fuel pumping plant is deemed too 
expensive attention should be given to the windmill with the small 
reservoir, the importance of which can not be overestimated. 
Nearly every farm in western Kansas and western Oklahoma has a 
windmill used for stock and domestic purposes, and by building a 
small earth or concrete reservoir sufficient water can be stored for 
irrigating the garden and family orchard or small tracts of 2 to 5 acres. 
(Pis. VII and VIII.) One case is recorded in Scott County of 60 acres 
being irrigated by means of 10 windmills and a single reservoir. Even 
the use of a small water supply makes possible the growth of a few trees 
and flowers, provides vegetables for the table, and adds attractiveness 
to many a home on the plains that otherwise might have been aban¬ 
doned. The history of western Kansas would have been far different 
had the early settlers taken some means of providing for their domestic 
needs by irrigating only a small part of their homesteads. 

The use of windmills in irrigation in the semiarid West has been 
described in a bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture 1 

1 U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers’ Bui. 394. 

74505° S. Doc. 1021. 62-3-4 








50 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


in which the methods of building reservoirs and installing windmills 
are given in detail. Attention is called to the size and shape of 
reservoirs, of which the circular reservoir is the most economical. 

The following table gives the dimensions of circular reservoirs of 
different capacities; the quantities of earth in the embankments, 
if these have inside slopes of 3 to 1 and outside slopes of 1 to 1; 
the areas which can be irrigated, provided the reservoir full of water 
is used once in 10 days throughout 5 months and the land receives 
water to a depth of 1 foot; the size of mills recommended; and the 
costs of reservoirs and mills. The lift assumed in choosing the mills 
is 14 feet, which is about the average lift around Garden City. 


Sizes of circular reservoirs and estimated cost for various areas of land to be irrigated. 


Gross ca¬ 
pacity of 
reservoir. 

Depth 
of res¬ 
ervoir. 

Diameter 
at bot¬ 
tom of 
embank¬ 
ment. 

Diameter 
at top of 
embank¬ 
ment. 

Bot¬ 
tom 
width 
of em¬ 
bank¬ 
ment. 

Top 
width 
of em¬ 
bank¬ 
ment. 

Amount 
of fill re¬ 
quired. 

Number 
and size 
of mills 
recom¬ 
mended. 

Esti¬ 
mated 
cost of 
reser¬ 
voir. 

Esti¬ 
mated 
cost of 
plant 
erected 
and com¬ 
pleted. 1 

Area 

irri¬ 

gated. 

A cr e-feet. 
0.07 

Feet. 

4 

Feet. 

21.30 

Feet. 

45.30 

Feet. 

19 

Feet. 

3 

Cu. yds. 
212.00 

1 8-foot.. 

$21.20 

$81 

Acres. 

1 

.16 

4 

34.96 

58.96 

19 

3 

281.52 

1 8-foot.. 

28.15 

88 

2 

.24 

4 

45.62 

69.62 

19 

3 

336.25 

1 10-foot. 

33.62 

113 

3 

.32 

4 

54.61 

78.61 

19 

3 

381.88 

1 10-foot. 

38.18 

119 

4 

.40 

4 

62.27 

86.27 

19 

3 

422.46 

1 12-foot. 

42. 24 

202 

5 

.49 

5 

58.58 

88. 58 

24 

4 

684. 71 

2 10-foot. 

68. 47 

228 

6 

.56 

5 

63.64 

93.64 

24 

4 

725. 80 

2 12-foot. 

72.58 

392 

7 

.63 

5 

69.00 

99.00 

24 

4 

747. 75 

3 12-foot. 

74. 77 

550 

8 

.72 

5 

74.37 

104.37 

24 

4 

813. 51 

3 12-foot. 

81.35 

561 

9 

.80 

5 

79.36 

109.36 

24 

4 

854.16 

3 12-foot. 

85.41 

565 

10 


1 Not including well. 


In the following table is presented some condensed data of wind¬ 
mill irrigation around Garden City, Kans. The area irrigated, 
value and kinds of crops grown, size and cost of plant are given for 
37 plants: 






















IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


51 


Condensed data of windmill irrigation. 

GARDEN CITY, KANS. 


Num¬ 
ber of 
plant. 

Area. 

Crops. 1 2 

Num¬ 
ber of 
trees. 

Size of 
mill. 

Cost of 
plant. 

Size of reservoir. 

Cost of 
reser¬ 
voir. 

Annual 

main¬ 

tenance. 

Value 

of 

crops. 


Acres. 



Feet. 


Feet. 




1. 

4.0 

G and C. 

100 

10; 12 

1200 

100 by 30 by 2.... 

$20 

$4. 00 

$300 

2. 

20.0 

G; SB; A... 

400 

25; 10; 10 

1,000 

100 by 200 by 4... 

150 

2.50 

1,500 

3. 

6.0 

G; F; SB... 

700 

12 

200 

75 by 100 by 5.... 

20 

.50 

1,200 

4. 

4. 0 

A and SB. 


12 

200 

75 bv 100 bv 5 

20 

50 

95n 

5. 

25. 0 

A. 

800 

2 3-12 

360 

90 bv 185 bv 3 5 

100 

20 OO 

i finn 

6. 

8.0 

A.. 

12 

120 

1 SO bv 60 bv 2 

50 

10 00 

2 5H 

7. 

8. 0 

G; SP; C... 


12 

150 

100 bv 2 rniirul 

45 

2 65 

&no 

8. 

2.5 

G. 

100 

8 

55 

30 by 100by 3.... 

10 

4.00 

125 

9. 

4.0 

G; F; FI.... 

300 

8; 10 

85 

30 by 35 by 3.5... 

15 

2.00 

200 

10. 

3.0 

G. 

100 

10 

102 

20 bv 70 bv 2 

15 

1.50 

500 

11. 

2.0 

G; F. 

40 

10 

75 

20 by 50 by 2 

12 

150 

12. 

8. 0 

G; F . 

800 

8’ 12 

185 

85 bv 110 bv 3 

40 

11 00 

550 

13. 

5.0 

B; F; G.... 

125 

10 

100 

50 by 100 by 2.5.. 

20 

2.00 

500 

14. 

1.5 

B; F; G.... 

200 

8 

92 

24 by 24 by 2 

10 

.75 

400 

15. 

2.5 

G...'. 

100 

8; 10 

70 

30 by 30 by 3. 

10 

300 

16. 

2.0 

G and F.... 

800 

14 

175 

75 by 75 by 3.5... 

25 

5 00 

17. 

7.0 

C. and SB... 

150 

2-12 

230 

125 by 125 by 3... 

40 

30.00 

200 

18. 

2.0 

G. 

146 

8 

70 

40 by 40 by 2 5 

15 

50 

150 

19. 

1.0 

G.. 

200 

8 

12 

25 by 25 by 2 

10 

3 00 

200 

20. 

5.0 

B; F; G.... 

800 

2-8 

150 

50 by 50 by 2.5... 

50 

1.50 

300 

21. 

4.0 

G- and F.... 

3,000 

12 

103 

75 bv 75 by 2.5... 

15 

.50 

500 

22. 

4.0 

SP. 


10 

93 

30 by 70 by 3. 

15 

50 

250 

23. 

.25 

C. 

30 

8 

62 

50 by 50 by 2 

25 

50 

100 

24. 

3.0 

G and F.... 

300 

10 

91 

25 by 25 bv 2. 

10 

1.50 

500 

25. 

10.0 

G; A; F.... 

1,000 

10; 12 

230 

100 by 110 by 3... 

30 

1.50 

750 

26. 

3.0 

B; F; G.... 

260 

8; 8 

90 

30 by 50 by 3. 

13 

1.35 

500 

27. 

4.0 

G and F.... 

375 

12 

128 

50 by 30 by 3. 

12 

15.00 

500 

28. 

12.0 

G and F.... 

500 

2-12 

225 

100 by 500 by 3. . 

50 


500 

29. 

10.0 

G and F.... 

150 

2-12 

193 

75 by 100 by 2.5.. 

15 


1,500 

30. 

5.0 

B; F; G.... 

100 

12 

72 

60 by 60 by 4 

20 

5 00 

200 

31. 

2.5 

B; F; G... 

100 

2-8 

164 

40 by 50 by 2 

10 

. 75 

200 

32. 

2.5 

B; F; G.... 

75 

8 

60 

60 by 60 by 3 

20 

5 00 

200 

33. 

4.0 

G.... . 


12 

85 

2.5 by 50 diam . 

40 

7. 00 

200 

34. 

4.0 

G. 

300 

12; 8; 8 

250 

100 by 100 by 3. 

50 

12 00 

300 

35. 

2.0 

G. 

800 

8 

75 

20 by 25 by 2. 

10 

None. 

100 

36. 

10. 0 

T. 

2,000 

2-12 

200 

250 by 100'by 3. 

75 


700 

37. 

2.5 

G. 

150 

10 

75 

20 by 111 by 2.5.. 

10 

5.00 

175 


1 The following abbreviations are used: A, alfalfa; B, berries; C, cantaloups; F, fruit; FI, flowers; 
G, garden; SB, sugar beets; SP, sweet potatoes; St, strawberries; T, trees. 

2 This indicates three 12-foot mills. Other similar figures indicate number of mills of the size given. 


Conclusions. 

While, as explained in the introduction, neither time nor funds 
were available for a thorough investigation of the storage possibili¬ 
ties of western Kansas and Oklahoma, even by limiting the area 
covered to two or three western tiers of counties, such opportunities 
as were found for irrigation development by storage are not promis¬ 
ing, and considered in relation to the total agricultural area the 
total acreage which can be supplied with water will never be more 
than a very small percentage of the available land. As in other 
semi arid regions where it is possible to maintain a home by an 
extensive system of dry farming, water for irrigation must be obtain¬ 
able at a low cost, or its use will be long delayed, even though the 
advantages of irrigation over dry farming can be clearly demon¬ 
strated. When the water supply for irrigation is also generally both 
difficult to obtain and expensive, as in western Kansas and Okla¬ 
homa, its use will be still further delayed. 

The typical surface formation of this area is a thick, overlying 
earth through which the stream erosion has not generally pene¬ 
trated, such underlying shales as have been exposed being soft and 
eroding in generally easy slopes. It is this uniformity in the hard- 







































































































52 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


ness of the material eroded which prevents the formation of good 
reservoir sites, as they are considered, in the more mountainous 
regions. The valleys of the streams are in many cases of consider¬ 
able breadth and of light slope in the direction of the stream, but 
owing to the uniform width of the valley erosion no economical dam 
site can be secured. The general irregularity and torrential charac¬ 
ter of the flow of the streams make it practically necessary to store 
directly on the stream beds, as any inlet canals to reservoirs apart 
from the streams would need to have very large carrying capacity 
in order to obtain the larger portion of the run-off. With large and 
reasonably certain water supplies available, dams across the wide 
valleys might be built of sufficient height so that the large capacity 
secured would reduce the unit cost within practicable limits. With 
the small and uncertain supplies that are found on all but one or 
two of the streams, such development of sites can not be considered 
practical, and the unit cost for sizes which can be regularly filled is 
more than the present demand for irrigation will warrant. 

Irrigation development in this area has not been sufficiently 
extensive or permanently established for the value of water rights 
to become fixed, excepting in the Arkansas Valley. High-land pump¬ 
ing plants, although as yet at least partially experimental, are being 
installed in the Arkansas Valley, in which the annual cost of water 
will be in excess of $10 per acre. In order for such pumping to be 
profitable, the best agricultural use must be made of the land. As 
western Kansas and Oklahoma approach the limit of their develop¬ 
ment under dry farming and stock raising, it is to be expected that 
the interest and demand for irrigation will increase and that the 
cost which can be borne will also increase, although neither the 
present nor the future limit of cost can be satisfactorily determined. 
The estimated cost of the two larger projects surveyed in this inves¬ 
tigation—those on Beaver Creek and Cimarron River—should be 
sufficiently low to leave some margin of profit to a promoting com¬ 
pany. However, when the uncertainty of water supply, dam foun¬ 
dations, etc., are taken into consideration the margin is hardly suffi¬ 
cient to make the risk financially inviting. 

The three smaller sites were selected as illustrative of the topo¬ 
graphic conditions for storage on the smaller channels, their size 
being such as comes within the limit of the individual farmer. In 
such cases a somewhat higher unit cost can be borne, as a more 
intensive use of the water is probable than on the larger projects, 
and the marketing conditions for the products of small isolated 
irrigated tracts in a general dry-farming section are much more favor¬ 
able. As the normal flow of the neighboring streams which can be 
obtained much more cheaply than a supply from these particular 
small storage sites has not as yet been fully utilized, their cost can 
hardly be considered as within the present economic limit, although 
eventually then* use may be feasible. The greatest number of oppor¬ 
tunities for storage in western Kansas and Oklahoma are of the size 
and character of these small sites, and careful investigation might 
disclose many of them, some of which might be developed at less 
cost than those selected for survey, although the average water sup¬ 
ply would probably be less certain and reliable. 





IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


53 


The following quotation summarizes the results of the investiga¬ 
tions of reservoir sites by the United States Reclamation Service in 
Oklahoma, which covered a much larger area than the two counties 
included in this report, and which warranted statements regarding 
the character of the water supplies even more favorable than they 
would be if limited to the two counties included in the present 
examination. 

The western part of Oklahoma is a region of uncertain rainfall. During ordinary 
years the precipitation, if properly distributed, would be ample for excellent crops. 
In some years it is properly distributed, while in others the crops are lost for lack of 
rain at the time when it is needed. 

Recognizing that such a region needs irrigation, if it can be had at a reasonable cost, 
extensive reconnoissance surveys have been made on all the streams in this semiarid 
region during several past seasons, and stream measurements for determining the 
available water supply have been pushed rapidly since April, 1905. 

Surveys and examinations have been made of every possible site for an irrigation 
project on Cimarron and Canadian Rivers, Beaver Creek, Wolf Creek, Washita River, 
and Red River and their tributaries. With the exception of the main Cimarron River 
above Garrett, the North Fork of Red River at points near Snyder and Lugert, and 
Otter Creek near Mountain Park, these streams may be generally described as occupy¬ 
ing sandy valleys of practically uniform slope and width, with no narrow places where 
dams can be economically constructed of stone or earth, as there is no bedrock for 
base and abutments of dams and no suitable rock for masonry or concrete. 

All of the streams are very irregular in flow, being practically dry at certain seasons, 
deficient in volume ordinarily, and subject to violent floods of short duration at 
irregular intervals. Such streams can not be utilized for irrigation on a large scale 
without ample storage, and the conditions for storage do not exist, except at the 
points mentioned. The largest and best site that has been found is on the North 
Fork of Red River in Greer and Kiowa Counties, near the towns of Headrick and 
Snyder, and is known as the Navajo reservoir site. Extensive surveys and estimates 
have been made there to determine the feasibility of an irrigation project. 1 

There is another class of irrigation development which is the most 
promising for this area in general. This is the small windmill or other 
pumping plant with storage reservoir or the small reservoir to store 
sufficient storm run-off to supply the garden products and trees 
which can add so largely to the comfort and pleasure of farm life 
in semiarid sections of extensive farming. The acreage of such 
units is so small that the value per acre of the crops is misleading, 
as is also the cost per acre of the water supply. As the garden 
products are intended for home consumption, their value is not 
easily measured in dollars, although they will effect a considerable 
annual saving to the farmer in store bills. In the area covered in 
this investigation there are probably but few large farms on which a 
windmill and small reservoir can not be made to irrigate a half acre 
to an acre at a cost well within its value. Attempts to irrigate 
more than enough crops for the home consumption have not been 
generally successful on large farms devoted to dry-farm crops, as the 
equipment and methods, as well as the temperament of the farmers, 
are widely different in extensive cultivation and in irrigated truck 
raising. It is in utilizing the small supplies on individual farms, 
either of storm run-off or by pumping, that the greatest benefit is 
most likely to be realized from irrigation in western Kansas and 
Oklahoma. 


i Ann. Rpt. U. S. Reclamation Service,5 (1906),p.244. 





54 


IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 


While this reconnoissance for storage may be lacking in some details 
it is doubtful if a more thorough search for reservoir sites would add 
sufficient information to justify its expense or that sites would be 
found whose development would be undertaken either by Federal 
agencies or by private parties, at least under present conditions. The 
most significant new development now taking place is the pumping 
from the underground water on the uplands, with lifts of over 100 
feet. The best type of engine and fuel and the best pump head, as 
well as other details, are still matters of experiment. If it be 
proven feasible to draw from this underground supply at such high 
lifts the quantity of water which can be withdrawn without lower¬ 
ing the ground water level, and the depths and lifts required, will be¬ 
come matters of great importnace to this section. This is a subject 
falling more within the proper province of Federal investigation than 
a search for reservoir sites m this area. Each stream can be investi¬ 
gated independently for reservoir sites at an expense within the reach 
of those likely to utilize any opportunities which may be found. 
The whole ground water supply is more or less closely related in various 
locations and the expense of any general investigation would be 
be}mnd the means of individuals who were considering its use. Some 
general geological investigations have already been made by the 
United States Geological Survey. The source and quantity of the un¬ 
derground supply arc questions whose solution will be very difficult, 
and any definite determination can not be made. However, a careful 
study in the light of additional information made available by the 
recent developments should add much to the present knowledge. 


o 


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